Power Rangers Legend
by kikikimamama
Summary: The original Power Rangers are called back into service when a new and terrible evil threatens their planet. Led by a strange man who claims relation to Zordon, the Rangers must enter on final battle with the ultimate evil.
1. The Beginning

**Power Ranger Legends**

_A/N: I will try not to waste too much time with my blathering, but I make no promises. Not that anyone reads these anyway._

_But most people will agree that the show went kinda downhill after "In Space." I personally stopped watching after Tommy left midway through "Turbo." Once all of the original Rangers were gone, there was no point! Everything after "Space" was just the same stuff to me._

_The show has been on for 16-17 years and will probably end soon. This is an idea I had that would bring the series full circle if they really tried it and went for the gusto. Not likely to happen though. So since you probably won't see this adventure on T.V., you'll have to settle for reading it here._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

_Chapter 1_

_It begins..._

_15,000 years ago, in a far edge of the universe, there was a planet known as Eltar. This planet was protected by a group of mighty warriors known as the Power Rangers. Of the members of this group, there were three brothers who were the most powerful of them all. These brothers fought alongside each other, and were considered unbeatable._

_However, the eldest of these brothers became corrupted, and attempted to destroy the other rangers so that he may absorb their power and became a living god. He fought the others, and slaughtered them all, except for his younger brothers._

_Enraged at his betrayal, the two younger siblings fought the elder in a long battle, each fighting with all of their might. Finally, after a day long struggle, the two younger brothers managed to subdue their crazed elder. But they could not bring themselves to kill him._

_Realizing that they could not let him go, the middle brother suggested that they lock him away, where he could not hurt anyone. So they took him to the Eltarian Temples, and sealed him away in a chamber deep beneath the tombs._

_Despite what they had done, the two brothers still worried about the possibility of the third escaping. It was entirely possible that the seal would eventually break down, releasing their crazed sibling. After discussing it, the youngest volunteered to stay behind and guard the Temple, while the middle brother left Eltar to battle evil and spread the legacy of the Power Rangers._

_The Temple remains there to this day, with the corrupted brother beneath it, and the youngest still guarding it._

_Until now._

* * *

The night air was cool and breezy on the outskirts of Angel Grove, near the desert. The lights of the city gave off a glow that most found beautiful. The cloaked man was no exception. He stared at the lights in awe, amazed that the people in that city didn't appreciate small things of beauty as he did. But then, when you realized how close you were to annihilation, you tended to appreciate the small things more.

He turned around and gazed at the rubble that was strewn all around the rocky outcrop. It was obvious that a building had stood here. Walls were blasted away and lying flat. Pieces of strange technology laid around, burnt black by whatever explosion destroyed them. But one piece of rubble caught the mans attention more than anything else. He walked over and wiped away dust from the broken piece of metal. Stamped on the metal was an insignia. It was a lightning bolt placed over an E.

"Zordon. You were here." he said, his voice hushed in awe. Faced with this insignia, the man knelt down and began to meditate. As he did, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

While our mystery man was kneeling in the rubble and meditating, Tommy Oliver rolled around in his bed, unable to sleep. It had been a whole week since he had a decent night sleep. There was something thrumming in the back of his mind, telling him that something very big was about to happen. But what could possibly happen? Angel Grove hadn't been attacked in years, which was on of the reasons he moved back from Reefside.

_'That doesn't mean that something __couldn't__ happen. Remember, even after Zordon sacrificed himself, there were still monsters running around for the Rangers to take care of.'_

This thought did nothing to ease his mind, so he did what every insomniac did: he raided the fridge.

After making a ham sandwich, Tommy sat on his couch in the living room and flipped on the TV. He had moved back into his old house after his parents moved to Florida to retire, and when he moved in, he did some remodeling. Now the house looked like a clean, modern bachelor house with the usual items. This included a 52" HD TV with surround sound and satellite. And yet, with all those channels, there wasn't much on.

He finished his sandwich and shut the TV off, then headed back to his bedroom to try and fall asleep. He figured it might work this time with a full stomach.

But as he slipped back under the covers, his cell phone rang on his nightstand. Normally, he'd ignore it and go to sleep, but that thrumming in his head had a sudden spike of force. It wasn't painful, but it made Tommy think twice about letting that call go to his voice mail. He picked up the phone and looked at the caller id, which caused his guts to tangle in knots when he saw the name.

Kim.

For a brief second, Tommy thought about throwing the phone across the room. Despite how many years had passed, he still felt both the love and hurt that she caused in him. He wasn't sure if he could handle talking to her.

In response, the thrumming swelled again.

"Alright, I'll answer!" Tommy wasn't sure if anyone really heard his response, and he didn't wanna know. He flipped open the phone and held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Tommy?"

"Uh, hey, Kimberly. What's up?" He was amazed that his voice was smooth.

"Oh, nothing much, except that I can't sleep. I've been laying here for a good hour trying to, but my mind won't let me. Then, for whatever reason, I felt the strongest urge to call you. So that's what I'm doing."

"Really? You can't sleep either?"

"Nope, not for a whole week. I've had maybe 8 hours from the past seven days. I guess you're having the same problem?"

"Yeah." There was an uncomfortable moment of silence.

"I don't know what it is, Tommy, but I have this, like, feeling that something bad is about to happen."

"Yeah, I've been having the same feeling. But I don't think it's anything."

"Really?"

"Nah. It'll probably pass soon."

"I hope so." There was silence as the two former lovers tried to think of what to say. Neither wanted to bring up the nasty subject of the separation.

"So... what have you been up to?" asked Kim.

"Well... I've been keeping busy. Got my PhD in archeology, then got a teaching job out in Reefside at the high school."

"Wait, wait, wait. Tommy Oliver is a doctor?" He heard the playful disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm a doctor. And I was also a science teacher for awhile."

"You! A SCIENCE teacher? Science was your worst subject in school! How'd you manage to teach it?"

"Well, I just made myself focus. I'm not a complete airhead, you know." He cracked a smile. He was happy to talk with her like this. Without any tension.

"I just can't believe it. When I was dating you, I never thought for a second that you would teach science."

_'Yeah, and when I dated you, I never thought you would leave me the way you did.' _Just as soon as he thought that, Tommy regretted it. He didn't know all the circumstances behind that letter. He couldn't judge her like that.

"Well, I never doubted you would be a world-class gymnast. I watched you at the Pan-Globals. You were amazing."

"Thanks, Tommy. I kept thinking about you and the rest of the group during my routine."

"Aww, Kim!" He said it teasingly just to mess with her. This only made her laugh, a sound that hypnotized Tommy. It was one of the many things he **still** loved about her.

"Well, I'd love to keep talking, but it's almost three in the morning, and I need to sleep. Even if it's only for an hour or two."

"Yeah, same here." This wasn't the truth. Talking to her had energized him, making sleep damn near impossible for the night. He didn't want her to go.

"But I'll call you soon, ok?"

"Ok.

"Oh, and Tommy, are you still living in Reefside?" It was an odd question.

"Um, no. I moved back to Angel Grove earlier this year."

"Really?" There was a definite note of excitement in her voice that Tommy couldn't miss.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because I'm living in Angel Grove too! I just moved back a month ago. I'm staying in an apartment."

"Oh... well I guess I'll be seeing you around then."

"Yeah... I guess so."

"Alright... well, good night."

"Goodnight, Handsome." Before he could say anything, Tommy heard the click signifying that she had hung up.

_'Did she really just call me Handsome?' _Tommy lay there, unsure of what to think. For a moment, he thought that maybe she still had those feelings. Why else would she call him this late at night and then use her old nickname for him?

_'Who knows? Women are weird like that. But I seriously doubt she still loves me.'_ Tommy sighed and resigned himself to the thought.

After placing the phone back on the nightstand and plugging it in to the charger, he rolled over and closed his eyes, running the whole conversation through his head. Amazingly, the thrumming subsided and he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

On the other side of Angel Grove, Kimberly Hart laid in her bed with her cell phone clutched in her hand. She had just hung up, but couldn't bring herself to put the phone down and go to sleep. Her thoughts whirled in her head.

_'I wonder if he he'll notice my slip up? I didn't mean to say it. It just slipped out!'_

_'Sure, Kim, and you're the Queen of England.' _said her other self.

Ignoring the other voice, Kim rolled over and closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the dull pain that hadn't left yet.

* * *

In a recording studio in Texas, an Asian man had just finished recording his voice for a video game. He walked out of the booth and sat down on a nearby bench. As he closed his eyes for a rest, he felt a pressure in his brain and a sudden urge to go to Angel Grove. He snapped open his eyes and grabbed his cellphone, dialing for airline tickets at the nearest airport.

* * *

In London, a pretty blonde woman in a ballerina tutu had just finished practicing when her skull began throbbing, forcing her to shut her eyes in a vain attempt to shut out the pain. As soon as the pain hit her, it was followed by a strong, inescapable urge to go to Angel Grove. She didn't hesitate. She quickly changed into normal clothes and went home to pack.

* * *

All over the country, others were feeling the same pain and the same urge to go to Angel Grove. All of them began their journey back to where all of it began. The pull was too strong to resist. In a few short hours, the worlds first planetary protectors would be back where they took their oath.

* * *

Back at the ruins, the mystery man stood up from his position and pulled his hood down, allowing the cool breeze to hit his face. He had black hair and an almost angelic face. His eyes were a haunting gray, with the left having the slightest tinge of red around the edge of the iris. With these eyes, he turned back toward the city.

"It'll happen soon, Zordon. They are gathering back, if subconsciously. I'll find them and bring them back here. Only they can help me stop him." He cast his eyes skyward, searching the stars.

"I will not fail again... brother."

* * *

_A/N: At it's heart, this is a Kim/Tommy story like so many others here on . However, it's my hope that this will be a good general action story as well. This is what I'd love for them to do if they decided to end the series. Preferably in a third movie. But, as my parents have always told me, "wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which one gets filled first."_

_Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the first chapter of what I hope will be a long story. I'll be back with more!_


	2. The Gathering

_A/N: So, yeah... here's the perfected version... enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter One

The Gathering

Trini Cranston sighed loudly as she rode in the passenger seat of her and her husbands car, watching the passing streets and reminiscing about her youth in Angel Grove.

"Are you all right, Trini?" asked her husband Billy.

"Hmm? Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about the past."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Seeing all these places brings back a lot of memories. There's the park where we played volleyball."

"And where you and Kimberly were turned into punks." his wife interjected.

"Yeah! I had forgotten about that! Man, we were assholes for awhile there."

"Yes, you were. But we were able to bring you guys back." Billy smiled, leaning over and giving his wife a peck on the cheek before returning to his driving. There were a couple of moments of silence as Billy thought about something.

"Hey, I haven't heard from Kim in awhile. What is she up to?"

"Well, she moved back to Angel Grove about a month ago."

"Really? How's that for coincidence? Her and then us."

"And Tommy."

"Tommy's back home?"

"Yep. He got here before Kim." Billy thought about it for a moment.

"Huh. This makes me wonder if Zack and Jason are hiding around here somewhere. Wouldn't that be interesting?"

"I think it'd be awesome." She winced as she said this and placed her hand on the side of head, massaging the temple.

"You don't sound too enthused about it."

"It's this damn headache. I've been having it on and off for the past month."

"You too? My head's been feeling strange for about a month as well." Trini looked at him with a look of concern.

"Really?"

"Yeah. It doesn't really hurt. It's just this weird pressure in the back, near the base of my skull. It's kind of like an odd... thrumming." Trini gazed forward, wondering what it meant. Billy glanced over at her, wearing the same concerned look she had a minute ago.

"You ok?" Trini snapped out of her reverie.

"Uh... yeah. Let's just get to the Youth Center."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

The rest of the drive was in silence.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the mountains, our mystery man was now in a large chamber below the surface. He was surrounded by a jumble of wires and tools, trying to repair whatever technology was left here by the previous owners. The dim emergency lights of the place were his only source of light, and while they were enough for him to see, they weren't exactly spotlights, and he found himself having to squint to see what he was doing. This only made him want to finish repairs as soon as possible.

"It's times like this when I wish Alpha 5 was still around." As soon as he said this, the mystery man jerked his head up in sudden realization. He stood up and walked over to a small door that led to a storage room. Using the small overhead light, the man found the familiar body of an old friend. He then drug it out to the main room and began tinkering with the back.

"I sure hope this works." He pressed a few buttons and, suddenly, the mechanical body was working and moving around with herky-jerky movements and shouting.

"Ai-yi-yi-yi! Zordon! Where are you?! What's going on?!"

"Alpha! Calm down!" The robot turned his saucer head towards the man who had brought him back to life.

"Is it possible? Is that you, Zy-?"

"Yes, Alpha, it's me." said the man, cutting off the robot before he could mention his name.

"How did you find me in here?"

"I could sense you. Remember, you ARE powered by the same energy source I use."

"Oh, that is true."

"How did you get in here? Last I heard, you were on Eltar."

"Oh, I was! But then Zordon was kidnapped, and then Dark Specter attacked the planet! But I managed to get away! Except I didn't have any place to go, so I just came back to the Command Center and shut myself down in the storage area!"

"Well, I am glad you're here. I can't put this place back together by myself."

"Back together! But why? There shouldn't be any more monsters left to fight!" Alpha stared at the man's face. And somewhere in his wiring, the robot figured it out.

"Oh no! He's loose, isn't he!" The man nodded.

"Yes, Alpha. Azazel is free."

* * *

Back at the Youth Center, Trini and Billy arrived to find almost all of their old friends. Jason Lee Scott, Zack Taylor, Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, Aisha Campbell, Kat Hilliard, and Tanya Sloan were all sitting around a table in a corner of the hang out, talking and laughing amongst themselves. When they noticed Billy and Trini walk in, they motioned for them to join them. Trini didn't waste any time and ran over to give her friends hugs.

"You guys! What are you all doing here?!" she asked, ecstatic to see them all.

"Well, that's what we're trying to figure out." said Jason.

"What do you mean?"

"Well Billy, it seems we all think on the same mind frequency. We all had a sudden urge to come home." said Kat.

"Really?" Billy asked, intrigued. "All of you at the same time?"

"Just about, man. I can't explain it. I was in the middle of teaching a dance class in L.A., when I had this sudden urge to come back. It was so powerful, that I canceled the rest of the lesson and flew out here as soon as possible." said Zack.

"It was the same with me. I was doing some voice over work in Fort Worth, Texas when I felt I had to come back." said Adam. Billy gave him an odd look.

"Voice over work?" Adam gave a goofy grin at this.

"Yeah, I'm a voice over actor now. I do work for games and some Japanese anime."

"Huh. Anyway, so it was like this with all of you?" They all nodded.

"What about you and Trini?" asked Jason.

"Well, we were already planning on coming back for a vacation around this time, so that's why we're here. Guys, did you all have any kind of head pain when you had the urge to come back?" They all thought about it for a second.

"You know, come to think about it, my head did feel like it was in a vice. I mean, it wasn't a painful headache or anything. I just felt... pressure in my head." said Rocky.

"Towards the back?" Rocky nodded.

"Me too."

"Me three."

"What are you thinking, Billy? Is there something to all this?" asked Jason.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. It could all just be a coincidence, but knowing our luck and past history, it could mean something more. I'd have to research it some more."

"Well, we could go back to my place. I've got plenty of space for us to relax and figure this out, plus we can chill and catch up."

"Good idea, Jason. Let's go to your place. Maybe we can figure out what the hell is going on." said Rocky.

* * *

Kimberly sighed for what must've been the hundredth time that day. She was in her apartment, clutching her head as the pressure screamed at her, almost as if it was telling her to do something.

_'But what? What am I supposed to do?'_

Receiving no answer, she walked to her small kitchen to make a smoothie when she had a sudden flashback to when she used to order smoothies with Tommy. Back when she was happy with her life.

_'Back when Tommy still loved me.'_

She winced as another flash of pain accompanied this thought, white-hot and blinding in intensity. Her head was screaming at her.

_'Do I need to go to the Youth Center?!'_

As soon as she thought this the pain subsided and became nothing more than a buzz in the back of her skull. Was it a sign? Some divine road marker saying "Turn left, asshole!"? She didn't care. If it made the pain go away, she'd do it.

She grabbed her keys and quickly left the apartment.

* * *

Across town, the exact same thing happened to Tommy, and he thought the exact same thoughts regarding the pain in his head and the Youth Center. He left his house and drove to the building, hoping that there would be some answers there. He would not be disappointed.

* * *

_A/N: Well, there you have it. Another chapter, which proves that this isn't going to be one of those typical stories that promise something epic and then just fade away after two or three chapters. I aim to please. Especially if people truly enjoy my stories, which it seems that some people do!_

_Anyway, I shall begin work on the next chapter soon. In the meantime, don't forget to leave reviews for me. They're always like a sort of pep talk that lets me know my contributions are appreciated. Thank you and goodnight!!_


	3. Meetings, Old and New

_A/N: So, yeah... here's the perfected version of this chapter... enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter Two

Meetings, Old and New

Tommy arrived at the Youth Center and parked his jeep in the front. The thrumming in his head had lessened on the way, but spiked again as he parked. Apparently, whatever was causing the pressure in his head suddenly changed it's own mind and wanted him to go somewhere else. Tommy briefly thought about it for a minute, then decided to stay and have a drink. A smoothie or something.

"No point in wasting the drive, after all." he said to no one in particular.

When Tommy walked into the familiar hang-out, hundreds of memories came flooding back to him. The karate tournament where he first met Jason. All the times he hung out with the rangers. The door frame where he had shared a kiss with Kim under the mistletoe. The day he received that letter that nearly killed him.

Tommy pushed the thoughts away and made his way to the counter, where there stood an old friend from his past.

"Hey, Ernie. Long time, no see." The man whirled around when he heard the voice and nearly dropped the glass in his hand when he saw who it was.

"Tommy?!"

"In the flesh." he said with a smile.

"Oh my god, how are you? Where've you been?"

"Here and there. And I'm doing fine."

"Are you here visiting, or did you come back for good?"

"I moved back into my parents house about five months ago."

"Five months? Why didn't you come see me sooner?"

"Well, why didn't you tell me you lost all that weight?" Tommy teased. And it was true. When he had last seen Ernie, the man was well over two hundred pounds. But from what Tommy could gather from his appearance, it seemed the man had dropped down to 180 or so.

"You weren't here for me to tell you, ass!" Tommy laughed at this. It felt like nothing had changed.

"Oh, Ernie. It's good to see you, man. I missed this place."

"Yeah, and apparently, you're not the only one." Tommy cocked an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, almost the whole gang was here about 30 minutes ago. The only people who weren't here were you and Kim. Is there some kind of reunion going on I don't know about?" Tommy shook his head.

"Not that I know of, man. If there is, they either forgot to invite me or don't wanna see me." Ernie laughed.

"You probably DID get invited and just happened to forget about it." Tommy gave him a glare.

"Oh, ha ha! It just so happens I'm not that forgetful anymore."

"Oh, really?"

"Really! In fact, it just so happens that I have a PhD. in paleontology and I teach science at the high school in Reefside!"

"I certainly hope you don't forget to be in your own classroom!" Tommy went rigid, shock grabbing hold of his system. Could it be? He had to know, so he slowly turned to face the newcomer. When he saw her face he audibly gasped.

There she was in all her glory. Kimberly Hart. The only woman he ever truly loved. She was also the woman who shattered his heart and almost caused him to take his own life. As he stood there in shock, he took in the sight of her.

She was still the same height she was when she left. Hell, she was practically the same in everything except her hair. It was tied back in a long ponytail that hung loosely behind her. She wore a smile that, despite the years, lit a fire in Tommy's insides. Even though he still hurt from what she did, he still felt like a teenager when he looked at her standing in front of him. Arousal and all. She was wearing a small jacket that over a tank top that clung to her torso like a second skin. It was all he could do not to pull her to him and kiss her furiously in front of everyone there. Oh, the things he would do to her...

"Kimberly! You're back too?" Ernie's voice snapped Tommy out of his lust filled daydreams and back to reality. He closed his mouth when he realized it had been hanging open and tried to regain his composure, which was incredibly hard, like other things.

"Yeah, Ernie, I'm back. And for good." she said, practically laughing, though Tommy couldn't tell if it was because of Ernie's or his reaction.

"Yeah, how long have you been back?"

"Oh, about a month now." Ernie threw his hands in the air and sighed.

"What is it with you kids? You come back and don't have the decency to tell your best friend?"

"Ernie! I've only been here a month! I've been busy unpacking!"

"Hey, that's no excuse, young lady!" Kimberly laughed at this.

"Ernie, could you stop lecturing me long enough to get me a strawberry smoothie?"

"Heh, anything for you kiddo. You want anything, Tommy?"

"Uh, yeah, get me a vanilla smoothie, please."

"Sure thing." And he left the two alone top get their orders

"Even after you leave the team, you still can't escape the colors, can you?" she started, referring to the **white **smoothie he picked.

"I could say the same for you, Miss Pink."

"Hey, I liked strawberry smoothies long before I became a ranger, that doesn't count!"

"Sure, sure." A silence fell between them, creating one of those painful moments where you try to think of something to say.

"So what brings you here?" Tommy hesitated to tell her the truth. Would she even believe him. Probably, but best not to try yet.

"I just had an urge to take a stroll down memory lane."

"Yeah, me too. All the good times we had in here."

"And bad. Like letters we receive." The words were out before he could reign them in, complete with the venom they were saturated in. Tommy regretted saying it as soon as he did.

"Tommy... I--" She stopped, but Tommy interrupted her.

Kim, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. I just... got caught up in all of the memories here. Even the bad ones." At that time, Ernie came back with their drinks.

"Here you go, guys! On the house!" Kim perked up at this.

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Wow. Thanks, Ernie!" said Tommy.

"No prob." He then left to attend to other customers.

"Hey, Kim. Let's go sit at our old table."

"Alright." They moved to their favorite table from their youth, unaware that their friends had been sitting at that same table only thirty minutes before them.

"Anyway, I'm sorry about that remark. It was uncalled for."

"No it was called for. Very much so. What I did was horrible and probably hurt you so much."

"You have no idea, Kim. That letter devastated me." They went silent again for a few seconds.

"I hated that I wrote that damn thing, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It just felt so wrong. And it wasn't even worth it. The prick I left you for was an asshole who just wanted to get laid." Tommy felt a pang of rage at the moron who stole his girl away from him in an attempt to get into her pants. That was his job, damn it!

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Kimberly took a breath.

"Not yet. Not in here. Let's talk about something else while we finish our smoothies. Then we'll go outside and talk about it. I owe you an explanation anyway."

"Yeah, you kinda do." Kimberly chuckled a little when she heard the playful tone in her ex's voice. It was relaxing and disarming. She had been so on edge about what she would say to him. Now she didn't feel so bad about what she had, and wanted, to do.

"So. How about them Knicks?" she asked. Tommy gave her a look that said _'What are you talking about?'_

"Sorry, but I'm not sure what to talk about."

"Well, Ernie said that our friends were in here about half an hour ago."

"Really? Did he say who all was here?"

"No, but I got a feeling that it was everyone who was on the team up until Turbo."

"How do you know that?" She was genuinely curious.

"I'm not sure. Call it a feeling."

"Really? And does this feeling tell you why they might be here?"

Tommy thought about this before answering. Truthfully, he had a suspicion that it might have something to do with the strange feeling he'd been having about something bad happening soon. But he wasn't sure if he should tell her that. But then, didn't she say she'd been having the same feeling?"

"Remember when you called me about a week ago, saying that you had a feeling that something bad was about to happen?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've been having that same feeling. And I think the others might too."

"You really think that?"

"Why else would they come back?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe they wanted to get away from their busy lives and relive the days of their youth?"

"All at the same time? And besides, you know that's a load of BS. Zack swore that once he moved out of Angel Grove, he was never coming back."

"People can change their minds Tommy. Maybe Zack changed his."

Tommy mentally chewed on this thought. It was entirely possible, nay, probable, that this might be the case. But everyone having the same idea at once? No, it was too much. Something else had to be going on.

"No, Kim. This isn't like that. Something is going on." As soon as Tommy finished saying this, a sudden spike of pain hit his brain, causing him to clutch the sides of his head. Kimberly would've reached out for him, if it wasn't for the fact that was she doing the exact same thing. Them, as quick as it had appeared, the pain was gone. The two looked at each other in amazement.

"Tommy, did you just get the feeling to go to Jason's house?"

"Yeah, did you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then let's go!" They quickly finished their smoothies and left the Youth Center. Kimberly decided to ride with Tommy instead of following him, as she didn't know where Jason lived, and they needed to get there in a hurry. This saved time.

As they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, Tommy couldn't help but feel that something big was about to happen.

* * *

Alpha 5 and the Mystery Man were in the center of a large room filled with debris. At one time, the room may have served as some sort of command center. There were computer consoles strewn about everywhere, with jumbled wires pulled astray. On one end of the room was a large tube that had since cracked open. It looked as if it had housed some sort of being. There were light columns spread around the edge of the room, and what appeared to be a modern crystal ball. It was at this ball that the Mystery Man was standing, his attention focused on a staticy image in the ball itself.

"Well, the viewing globe works. Good job, Alpha."

"Thank you, sir. Can you see any of the rangers?" The man peered closer into the image, which was beginning to clear up.

"Yes, I see the original white and pink rangers. Tommy Oliver and Kimberly Hart. They appear to be riding in a vehicle to somewhere, though I can't tell where. Is there a way to get the audio working?"

"I'll see what I can do, but with limited power, we may only be able to see them."

"Well, do what you can, Alpha." The man continued to watch the viewing globe while Alpha continued to work. As he watched, the main lights flickered on, illuminating the darkened room.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! What happened?! We just had a surge of power run through!"

The Mystery Man quickly turned his head towards the shattered tube. For the quickest moment, he thought he saw a disembodied head floating in the empty tube. But then it was gone.

"Alpha, check the power grid." The robot pressed a few buttons and checked a monitor.

"According to this, the power grid is running fully! But how?" The Mystery Man knew, but he wasn't about to tell the robot that they were receiving help from a dead being.

"I'm not sure, Alpha, but how will this affect our progress on rebuilding the command center?" Alpha entered in a few more keystrokes.

"With the grid running at full strength, we can have this place rebuilt in in a few hours, especially if we use your connection to the Power Source." The Man let out a sigh of relief.

"Then let's get to work."

* * *

While Alpha 5 and the Mystery Man are dealing with their technical issues, let's check back on the original "power couple," who are currently in pulling into the driveway of one Jason Lee Scott, former Red Ranger and best friend of Tommy Oliver. As the he parks his Jeep, Tommy is astonished at both the size of the house and the numerous cars out front. Since this was his first time visiting Jason at his new residence, Tommy never saw the house and was amazed.

After Jason retired from being a ranger, he tried his hand at UFC fighting and found he easily had a knack for it. In five years, he had managed to make a strong name for himself, earning as much as a million dollars per fight. This allowed him to quickly gather a fortune, which allowed him to build this huge house.

Built in a brick motif, the building stands three stories tall, with a main building flanked by two smaller wings. While it may not have been the Playboy Mansion, Tommy was easily impressed by it.

"Looks like Jason is doing well."

"Looks more like he's compensating for something if you ask me." came Kim's snarky reply. Tommy paid it no mind as he looked at the cars. The first one was a red Camaro with a T-Rex painted on the side.

"That's Jason's."

The other cars weren't as obvious, but it was easy to see that they all belonged to their old friends. Each car was either a single color like solid black or solid yellow, or a multi-colored car that signified the union of two former rangers.

"That's Billy and Trini's car." said Tommy, pointing to a yellow 1969 Dodge Charger with blue racing stripes.

"How do you know?" asked Kim.

"I saw when I visited them in New York a couple of years ago. As for the other cars, I don't know which belong to who, but it tells me that all our friends might be waiting for us." Kim nodded in agreement.

"Well, I guess that means that we better head inside and meet them all." Tommy swallowed hard.

"I guess so." With that, they walked up to the front door and rang the bell.

"Coming!" said a voice from inside, which Tommy instantly recognized as Jason's. Not long after they heard the voice, the door opened and there stood Jason, dressed in a casual red T-Shirt and blue jeans with a yin-yang necklace around his neck. He hadn't changed much except for gaining a little more muscle on his upper body, certainly a result from his UFC training.

"Tommy! Kim! So you finally got back together!"

* * *

_A/N: And that's where I end it! Because I'm that mean! Ha ha ha! Actually, I just ended it there because this chapter was getting way too long and I decided to have the next conversation with the whole team be it's own chapter._

_I know it's been slow starting out, but I figure a good story to be like good sex. You need the foreplay to get everything warmed up before you just jump in for the fun!_

_On that note, the next chapter will be **really **dialogue heavy. So if you can't stand people talking, you might not enjoy it. But it **is **needed so that you may understand what is about to happen. But I hope you have enjoyed my story thus far, and I hope you'll stick around for the whole thing._

_Take care!_


	4. The Command Center and The Ninja

_A/N: So, yeah... here's the perfected version of this chapter... enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter Four

The Command Center and The Ninja

Both Tommy and Kim turned beet red when Jason had his outburst. They both had entertained the thought, but to hear their best friend just yell it out like that was like having cold water splashed on their face. Tommy was the first to recover.

"Not quite, Jason. We just rode here together."

"Sure, sure." Jason said, his mouth sporting a knowing half-smile.

"Oh, don't give me that look or I'll wipe it off your face, Jason Lee Scott." said Kim.

"Whoa, calm down, girl! No need to get violent!" At this they laughed a little, easing back into their old ways.

"Well, instead of standing here like weirdos, how about we go inside and hang with everyone else?"

"Everyone else?" asked Kim.

"Jas, how many of us are there inside?"

"The whole gang's here, man. Everyone up to Turbo."

"So even Justin?" Tommy was ready to fall over in disbelief.

"Nah, he's not here. I guess he didn't feel the same thing we did." Tommy and Kim both caught this and latched onto it.

"You guys too?" said Kim. Jason looked at her with a look of quiet confirmation.

"So Billy was right."

"About what, Jas?" asked Tommy. Jason hesitated, but then moved his body out of the way to let them in.

"You guys better come inside and talk with the rest of the group. Something weird is going on." Tommy and Kim looked at each other and then followed Jason into his home.

As they followed him, the two couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the inside of the place. It was decorated in a sort of modern trend with classical styles in certain places, like the brick archway that led between the kitchen and the dining room. But the décor was what really had them amazed.

The place was covered in different shades of red, with not-so-subtle references to Jason's time as a ranger. He even went so far as to have a shelf that held nothing but toys from when they were all in service, before they retired and let the new guys handle everything. Kim walked over to the shelf and gawked, having never seen any of this.

"They really made toys out of us?" Jason and Tommy came up behind her.

"Yeah, they made all sorts of stuff. Figures of us, the monsters, the Zords, and even of Zedd and Rita."

"And you collected them all?" she asked as she picked up the figure of herself morphed in her old outfit. She was amazed at the detail put into the toy, even how they managed to reproduce the design of her helmet.

"Yeah, but only the stuff that related to us and the others. I've never collected the toys after the Turbo generation." Kim marveled at the collection for a minute more before putting the figure of herself back on the shelf.

"If you're done ogling my toys, let's head to the den where everyone is waiting." Tommy and Kim started following him again as Jason walked toward the door leading to said den. When they walked in, they were greeted by two things, almost simultaneously.

The first was the room itself. It continued with the red ranger theme only it was much more strong. The walls were adorned with pictures and newspaper clippings of the team, during and after Jason's time on the team. The desk had a figure of his old Zord, the Tyrannosaurus, standing next to his computer, which had a screen saver consisting of pics of him in his morphed form. Kim and Tommy were both amazed at how much Jason apparently missed his days as a ranger.

The second thing to greet them was all of their friends jumping up and running to hug them before Jason could even re-introduce them, forcing him to practically dive out of the way of the stampede as the girls all surrounded Kim and the other guys started patting Tommy on the back. One minute, Kim was taking in the sight of her friends, and then she was suddenly surrounded!

I'd like to describe to you what was said and done, but the mob is too large and the insanity too much to get a bead on. The best I can tell you dear reader is that Tommy and Kim were quickly getting crushed! It took Jason having to shove his way in and pushing everyone back to get everything to calm back down.

"Alright, alright, everyone calm down! Let's head to the deck outside so we're more comfortable! And so my stuff isn't broken." Feeling a little embarrassed, the friends all moved out back, where they could catch up and find out what was happening.

* * *

The Mystery Man was smiling. After a solid 3 days of working around the clock with only few breaks to eat and sleep, the Command Center and it's new portions were almost finished. He and Alpha had put in so much energy, it was good to see their hard work pay off. He was especially drained from having to use his energy stores to speed up the process.

_'But this is only the beginning. There is much harder work to be done if I am to succeed.'_

The Mystery Man put this thought away. He'd worry about that when this was solved. One problem at a time.

"Alpha, do we have anyway of contacting the Rangers?" Alpha turned from the panel to face the Man.

"Well, theoretically, we could try contacting them through one of the old communicators. But that's only if one of them still has one." The Mystery Man thought about this for a minute. What choice did he have?

"We better hope they do."

* * *

Back at Jason's house, the group were sitting outside in a circle, on his back deck, enjoying some lemonade and talking amongst themselves. They had spent the last few hours going back over the good times and the bad. It had started light, but quickly turned serious.

"Well guys, as much as I wanna keep reminiscing, I think we need to focus on what's happening. Billy?" The former Blue Ranger took his cue and stood up.

"Well, first, let's look at what happened. After so many years away from Angel Grove and our past, it seems like we all have decided to come back. Now, this wouldn't seem so bad if it wasn't for the fact that we all decided to come back at about the same time. And I don't know about you guys, but that's just too big of a coincidence for me." The others nodded their heads in agreement while Billy took a sip of lemonade before continuing.

"Now, Jason, Kim, and Tommy, had all moved back here recently. Jason first, followed by Tommy, and then Kim. But the rest of us came back on a whim, all of it connected to the same feelings we had, right?" They all nodded again.

"It's been the same for all of us. A slight headache that only lessens when we think about things connected to our past, a feeling of imminent danger, and a need to come back here... it all seems like we've been gently pushed in this direction. We just don't know by who... or what.

"I don't really have any hard evidence to support it, but I think that something bad is going to be happening soon. Something that only we can handle."

Before he could continue any further, they all heard a familiar beeping that they hadn't heard in years. They all stared at each other as the beeping continued, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"Jason, tell me you didn't keep a communicator." asked Zack.

"Hell yes, I did! Like I could just throw it away!"

"Should we go answer it?" asked Kat.

"I wouldn't. Who knows what it might be." said Adam

"Well, I don't care." said Tommy as he stood up. "There's been too much weird shit going on and this might lead us to some answers!" He stomped back into the den, followed by the others, and snatched up the watch that was still beeping, then pressed the button to answer it.

"Tommy here. Who is this?"

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! Tommy? Is that you?" The voice was unmistakable.

"Alpha 5?!" asked Tommy. The group all wore looks of shock at hearing the familiar voice and name.

"It is you, Tommy! Oh, how good it is to hear your voice!"

"What's going on, Alpha? How are you able to contact us through the communicator?"

"I can't explain right now, Tommy. But I'm teleporting all of you back here to the Command Center now! Something horrible as happened!"

Before Tommy could respond, he felt that familiar tingle as he was being teleported. He turned to see the others being teleported in those colors from long ago, then everything was dark as they landed in a light-less room. He looked around, his eyes beginning to focus, and could make out the shapes of his friends. They had **all** been teleported to this place... wherever it is.

"Alpha?! Where are you? What's going on?" Tommy felt a small spike of fear and uncertainty hit his stomach. What was going to happen?

Alpha 5 didn't answer him, but someone else did. A single spot light snapped on, and a figure stepped into its glow. He was dressed like a ninja in all black, with only his eyes visible. Tommy wouldn't forget those eyes. Filled with rage and loathing, this thing only seemed to feel hate. Those eyes had only gray coloring, devoid of all good. The left had a slight tinge of red around the iris. At first glance, this red was barely visible.

Tommy had only a second in which he processed this. Then the ninja attacked. Those eyes narrowed, the slight red taking over and turning the whole eye vibrant red, as if a vein had burst and filled it with blood.

With a terrible roar, the ninja lunged forward, snapping a side kick at Tommy that was aimed for his face. Tommy managed to block it, but broke his arm in the process. The ninja stopped it's advance and stared Tommy down, silently asking him if he'd had enough.

_'No way in hell, bastard!'_ he thought. Tommy recovered his balance and threw a roundhouse kick that was aimed for the ninja's side. But before his foot had gotten even halfway there, the ninja disappeared, and his foot simply flew threw the air, throwing him off balance again. Then Tommy was airborne, flipping through the air as someone threw him. Halfway through a spin, Tommy realized that the bastard had somehow teleported behind him and threw him. Sadly, this was the last conscious thought he had, as he hit the wall and was promptly knocked out.

It was a good thing too, because he wouldn't have wanted to see what happened to his teammates.

Adam was first. While the ninja's back was turned, he charged at him, attempting to tackle him. Instead, he fell to the floor as the ninja flipped over and behind Kat, putting her in a chokehold that lifted her clean off the floor! Jason quickly responded by aiming a punch at the ninja's exposed side. Seeing this, the ninja let go of Kat and grabbed Jason's fist from the air before twisting it into a wrist lock. Jason yelled as his wrist twisted in a fashion it was not meant to, only to be grabbed in the front and tossed through the air. He also fell unconscious when he hit the near wall.

And it continued, each former ranger trying to take the warrior out, only to be either outmaneuvered or blocked and countered. The ninja was fierce, moving all over the place with ease, as if he wasn't really there. There was no hesitation or plotting moves. He just acted, without worry of what would happen. All the while, his left eye still pulsing red.

Finally, after what seemed an eternity but was really only 5 minutes, all eleven rangers were down. They were sore, but had no lasting injuries. Throughout the fight, the ninja never **really** hurt them. They all lay on the floor, gasping and holding their bruised bodies. The ninja stood and watched them, bathed in the the single light.

"Alright, Alpha. Turn on the lights."

There was a loud CLUNK, and the Command Center was lit up for them all. Kim looked around as her eyes focused, and she was amazed at what she saw.

The command center had been rebuilt almost perfectly! The viewing globe stood where it had always been, as well as Zordon's tube, and the light pillars! The only major difference was that it had been extended beyond the viewing globe, creating a large open floor, which was where they had all been beaten senseless.

"I apologize for the attack, but I had to be sure." Kim turned towards the ninja, who had his hands clasped in front of him like he was praying. Right before her eyes, a black mist surrounded the ninja, engulfing him. It hovered like that for a few seconds, then dissipated to reveal a man dressed in a black coat that its hem reached the floor and it had a large hood, which was currently down, allowing them all to see the mans face.

He was decent looking, with an air of grace and quiet power. He looked as if he was twenty five or so, with a face that seemed to belong to an angel. His hair was medium length and gray/silver in color. His eyes were also gray, except for his left, which was gray with that small tinge of red around the inner edge of the iris. It was with these eyes that he was watching the rangers intently like a hawk. Jason was the first to recover as he shook of the pain in his head.

"Who the hell are you?!" The man watched Jason warily, waiting for the ranger to attack. When he realized that none was coming, he responded.

"I shall answer all of your questions in due time. But I suggest we head into the lounge area, where you can all eat."

"We're not hungry!" yelled Jason.

"Hmm... well I am. And I'm not talking until I've eaten. After that light sparring, I'm starving." Jason just stared as the man turned and left through a door off to the side. Light sparring? They had given their all and still failed! How was it light to him? The friends were unsure of what to do, when the man called from the next room.

"I'm not going to wait for you all to decide to trust me! Now get in here! And drag Tommy in here as well!"

They all looked at each other and slowly followed while Jason and Kimberly picked up Tommy and drug him into the next room.

* * *

_A/N: Well, there you have it! The newest chapter! I apologize for the slow crawl this story has to start with, but I promise it is needed for when things pick up. You **will** enjoy the action much more in the end._

_Anyways, read and review! Tell me what you think is good and what needs work. I always take constructive criticism as it helps me in the long run. And be sure to keep an eye out for a one-shot I'm doing here soon!_

_Until next time, stay morphinomical! (sorry...)_


	5. The Truth Revealed

_A/N: I apologize for the lateness... again. I moved from an apartment into a house and that took a majority of my time. Plus, I had no internet for a while, and that drove me CRAZY!! Anyway, here's the newest chapter!_

* * *

Chapter Five

The Truth Revealed...

_Tommy groaned as he struggled to regain consciousness. The last thing he remembered was being thrown by that ninja and hitting the wall. He shook his head to clear away the vice-feeling in his head and put a hand at the base of his skull to see if he had a lump. When he opened his eyes, his mouth and hands dropped in amazement._

_He was no longer in the Command Center. He wasn't even sure if he was on Earth anymore. He was standing in the middle of a field full of flowers he had never seen before. The field went on forever, with rolling waves of flowers as far as the eye can see._

_Tommy was overwhelmed with what he saw. He dropped to his knees, unsure of how to handle this sensory overload. He was so amazed, he didn't sense the new presence behind him until it spoke._

_"Tommy! It is good to see you!" Tommy jumped and whirled around, dropping into a fighting stance, only to come face to face with a man who he hadn't seen in years. He'd recognize that face anywhere._

_"Zordon?" Tommy couldn't believe his eyes. There was his former mentor, standing before him as if it was a normal thing. He was wearing a light blue coat that was covering what appeared to be a strange crystalline armor. He looked at Tommy with tears in his eyes._

_"Yes, Tommy. It is I."_

_"Where are we?" Zordon eyed Tommy, that smile still on his face._

_"We are in a place you shall learn more about in the very near future. But for now, I'm unable to explain. I can only tell you this much." He strode forward and placed his hands on Tommy's shoulders as he looked at the former Ranger in the eyes._

_"You must be strong, Tommy. You and the others. For you will soon be facing an enemy far stronger and more evil than any you have ever met before."_

_"Who?" Zordon lowered his eyes and shook his head._

_"Again, I'm afraid I cannot tell you more. Just trust the man who has summoned you all back to Angel Grove. He will explain everything." And before Tommy could argue or ask another question, the field and Zordon melted away, and he found himself falling deeper and deeper into darkness._

_Before he everything went black, Tommy swore he heard someone laughing..._

* * *

"Tommy?"

"I think he's finally coming around."

"I guess I threw him into that wall much harder than I meant to."

"If he's hurt in any way, I'll kill you."

"Whoa, calm down Pink Terror." Tommy heard the voices as he tried to open his eyes. Two of them he recognized as Jason and Kim, but the third was unknown to him. Finally, as he opened his eyes, he could see them.

From what he could tell, he was sitting at a long table that was covered in food. His friends were also sitting there with plates full of different dishes like chicken, salad, and many other choices. He looked around and noticed Kim and Jason sitting on either side of him, with Kim holding his right hand. Under normal circumstances, Tommy would have had chills from the touch. But he had seen the man on the other end, with the red tint in his eye. Tommy automatically recoiled, but Jason and Kim grabbed him.

"Hold it, bro. It's cool."

"What do you mean, Jase?! He attacked us."

"For good reason Tommy. Which you still haven't explained yet." Kim glared at the man as she said that last part.

"I told you I needed to test you." he said with almost no emotion.

"Who are you?!" Tommy shouted. The man didn't respond to him directly, instead turning to Billy.

"Billy Cranston, you were on Aquitar recently, correct?"

"Yes." Billy replied, hesitantly.

"While you were there, did you learn about an old Eltarian legend concerning three warrior brothers?"

"Affirmative. They were members of the very first Power Ranger team that originated on Eltar."

"Recite the legend to them all please so that they know it as well." The man started refilling his plate with food as Billy told the others about the brothers and how the eldest turned evil and betrayed the other two, only to be defeated and sealed away.

"But what does that have to do with who you are?! yelled Tommy. The man had finished eating at this point, so he pushed his plate away.

"Your mentor was Zordon of Eltar. He was the middle brother from that legend. And I was the younger brother." He got to his feet and opened his coat, pulling out a gold coin. He flipped the coin onto the table where it landed with a thud. The coin had an engraving of a thunderbolt on top of an E.

"I am Zephyr of Eltar. And I'm here because a terrible evil is coming. An evil I'm responsible for." The others were all quiet, stunned from the revelation. Tommy was especially quiet.

_'So Zordon had a brother. Two brothers.'_

"I understand that this all a little confusing, so allow me to explain." Zephyr turned to face them as he started.

"15,000 years ago, myself, Zordon, and our elder brother, Azazel, were members of the very original Power Ranger team. Were also the strongest due to our direct connection to the Source?"

"The Source?"

"I believe that Zordon referred to it as a 'Power Grid' with you all. Anyway, everything in that legend transpired exactly as it says. Azazel turned evil and betrayed us, we fought him, and eventually subdued and imprisoned him. Which brings me to why I'm here.

"When we imprisoned Azazel, Zordon and me used a spell that kept him sealed as long as the spell was maintained. I stayed behind to directly keep the seal maintained, while Zordon helped from a distance, allowing him to do what he needed to do while keeping Azazel in check. We did this for 15,000 years.

"But when Zordon was killed, his half of the power that sustained the seal was lost. As a result, the seal began to degrade, despite my best efforts. Over time, the seal got weaker and weaker, until it could no longer hold him."

"So you're saying that your brother, Azazaza-whatever, has escaped and is trying to get revenge?" asked Jason.

"In a manner of speaking. Part of it's revenge, but mostly his time in that tomb has caused him to go completely insane. His new goal is to completely destroy the universe." Everyone sat stunned. Sure, they had fought powerful baddies before, but none of them wanted to **destroy **the universe. They simply wanted to rule over it.

"But why destroy everything?" asked Zack.

"Why does he need a reason? He's insane now." Zack opened his mouth to respond, then quickly shut it when he realized Zephyr was right.

"Thankfully, we have some time to prepare before Azazel can begin his assault."

"What do you mean?" asked Kimberly.

"Well, when we sealed him away, we also cut off his connection to the Source, rendering him weak. Upon escaping, he's managed to reestablish that connection, but it will still take some time for him to fully regain power, giving us time to stop him." Tommy had heard enough.

"So what do you want with us?! Couldn't you find him and stop him if he's so weak?!" Zephyr leaned back and put his hands behind his head.

"I would if I could, Oliver, but I can't find him if he's hiding."

"So track him down! You certainly don't need us for that, do you?!" Zephyr started to laugh at this, making Tommy furious in the process. He wanted to go over and slam his fist into Zephyrs face, but remembered what happened the last time he tried that. So he forced himself to calm down as Zephyr finished.

"Tommy, the man may be crazy, but he's still very intelligent! He knows what the machines here are capable of doing, and he's using that to his advantage."

"What are you talking about?" asked Billy.

"Follow me and you will know!" and Zephyr stood up and walked back into the main chamber, towards the computers.

"The machinery here has been redesigned to track any energy signatures that are even remotely similar to Azazel. The problem is, is that it only picks up this signature when Azazel uses his powers, not when he's recovering, like he's doing now."

"I see!" Piped up Billy. "So we can only track him when he makes his move! Then we can fight him!"

"Whoa, whoa, hang on. Who said anything about us fighting?"

"What did you think that I dragged you here to tell you all this and then just have you leave? 'Bye-bye, sorry for bothering you with all the world-saving info!'"

"I don't know what you're thinking, but we are not getting mixed up in some centuries old sibling spat." said Tommy. He then turned to leave, being followed by the others, when Zephyr spoke again.

"So when Zordon asks for your help, you give it to him. But when his younger brother asks for it, you turn up your noses?" This stopped Tommy in his tracks as the words hit him. He suddenly realized how he was acting, and he felt ashamed for it.

_"You must be strong, Tommy. You and the others. For you will soon be facing an enemy far stronger and more evil than any you have ever met before." _The words echoed in Tommy's head as if Zordon was standing right next to him. Realizing what he needed to do, he slowly turned around and faced Zephyr.

"You know, I severely dislike you. But that doesn't change the fact that you're Zordon's brother." Zephyr's face showed no emotion, remaining flat and firm.

"As much as I don't want to... I suppose I should trust you. But I want to talk more about this with the others before we make a decision." Zephyr smiled.

"Oh, please, take your time. In fact, sleep on it. I have rooms specially made for all of you in the floors below, if you'll just follow me!" He turned and started to walk away as Jason yelled out to him.

"Why should we stay here?!"

"Would you rather spend money on a hotel or stay here for free with whatever food you want at your fingertips?" Rocky didn't even hesitate.

"I'm in!" And he soon fell in behind Zephyr. The others hesitated, then each decided this would be better, so they too began following. Tommy and Kim were last in line. They had grabbed each others hands without realizing it and walked that way. Tommy didn't like where all this was heading, but he remembered what Zordon had said in his dream/hallucination, and figured it would be better to just follow.

Besides, he was damn tired.

* * *

_A/N: First off, I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. Between work, family, and moving from an apartment to a house, I got sidetracked. Plus, once I started writing it out, I ran into some roadblocks in the form of personal criticizing. Every time I stopped and started, I'd look back on what I'd written and think it was horrible when it probably wasn't. And I still don't think this chapter was my best writing. So if you think the same, don't bother saying anything about it, cuz I already know. I promise that the next will be better!_

_Anyway, I'll see you all next time! As usual, read and review! Later!_


	6. Decisions, decisions

_A/N: Well, hopefully, this chapter will make up for the last one... That's all I've got to say about that._

* * *

Chapter 6

Decisions, decisions...

Kimberly sat down on her bed and looked around the room that Zephyr had given her here at the Command Center. It was decorated with objects that represented almost every facet of her life, from her gymnastics to her time as a ranger. And of course, pink was the dominant color of the room. It had its own kitchen with a bathroom and a small living area and bedroom. Apart from the fact that it was underground and was obviously more technologically advanced, you'd almost think it was a regular small apartment. Of course there were some things that made it obvious that it wasn't normal. For one, instead of a refrigerator, there was a box that looked like one, except it dispensed whatever food Kim wanted, cooked and ready to eat.

_'I bet Rocky's loving his room right now.'_ she thought with a smile.

Another difference was an intercom that was attached to the wall near the door. On it were buttons labeled with her friends names, each one connecting to their room. This allowed them to talk to each other. Kimberly was eyeballing it when it beeped and Tommy's voice floated from it.

_"Kim, are you there?"_ She went towards it and pressed the button with his name on it.

"Yeah, I'm here, Tommy. What's up?"

_"Could you head to the common area with the rest of us so we can discuss all of this?"_ Kim smile ad this. He was still trying to be the leader, even now.

"Sure, Tommy. I'll be there in a minute." She unpressed the button and waited for a moment, expecting Tommy to reply with his own confirmation, but when she didn't get a response, she went back to her bed, tied her hair back into a ponytail, and slipped on some flip-flops before heading out the door.

Zephyr had shown them the entire floor they were staying on, giving them a tour and explaining everything. There were ten rooms, with 5 on each side. With the exception of Billy and Trini, since they were married, each one of the former rangers had their own room, which was almost exactly like Kim's, with subtle differences. At one end was the elevator that led from that floor to the others in the Command Center, while on the other end was a common room that had a circle of couches in one corner, workout and gym equipment in another plus video games and a drink area in the final corner. Basically, it was supposed to be where they could unwind.

_'Wish we had this when I was still a ranger.' _thought Kim. This was her first time seeing it, and she was impressed. Zephyr even thought to put in a balance beam for her so she could practice her gymnastics still.

As she entered, Kim spotted the others all sitting on the couches, waiting for her. She quickly walked over and found a spot between Trini and Aisha. Once she sat down, Tommy stood up and took a spot in front of everyone, so they could all see him.

"Alright, guys. What's everyone thinking? About all of this?"

"I don't know, Tommy. Zephyr's story is credible. I checked that coin of his and it matches with old legends regarding Eltarian warriors. Plus, according to historians on Eltar, they can confirm that Zordon was on of those brothers, and that the other two were, in fact, named Azazel and Zephyr. I believe him."

"Wait, you've been in contact with Eltar, Billy?" asked Jason.

"Yeah. There was a trans-galactic communicator in my room and I used it to speak with an old friend who was currently residing on Eltar. He confirmed everything."

"So he really is Zordon's brother. Which means that this Azazel is real and the world really is in danger... yet again."

"You sound like this is a whole new experience for us, Tommy." said Kimberly.

"Yeah, it's not like this didn't happen to us on a routine basis when we were younger. Why do you sound like you don't believe it?" asked Trini. Tommy thought for a moment before answering.

"I guess... it's because I've been a civilian for so long. I'm used to not having to save the world. On top of that, I didn't know what to make of this guy. I mean he attacked us when we saw him. He says he was testing us, but I'm not sure I believe it."

"Yeah, but what if this is true? How can we even think of turning our backs on this? Remember, once a Ranger, always a Ranger."

"Yeah, Jason, but some of us have lives now. We have jobs we can't just abandon." said Zack.

"Are you telling me you'd rather go back to your dance studio in L.A. And abandon the earth- no, the universe, to destruction?"

"Nah, Jase, I'm not sayin' that at all! I'm sayin' how could we do this even if we wanted to?"

"Guys, I suggest we sleep on it. We'll talk more with Zephyr in the morning. We'll be better rested and better able to make a decision." Everyone nodded in agreement at Tommy's suggestion. They all stood up and started heading to their respective rooms. Kim hung back a bit, thoughts about Zordon preying on her mind. She decided to go get some answers.

Meanwhile, Zephyr was in his room to the side of the main control room meditating. As his mind seperated itself from his body, Zephyr left this realm to see his own mentor and advisor.

* * *

_When Zephyr opened his eyes, he was back on Eltar, in the fields he had loved as a child. Except that the fields weren't real, and he wasn't really on Eltar. He was in a place that looked like those fields from his youth._

_As he continued to stare at the fields, he sensed a presence __behind him. Knowing who it was, he smiled and spoke without turning._

_"Hello, brother. I found your team." A deep, powerful voice replied to him._

_"Good work, Zephyr. Have they agreed to take up the power again?" Zephyr turned and faced his older brother, Zordon._

_"Not yet. But they will. They're Rangers. That sense of duty still rings deep in their soul." Zordon chuckled._

_"Yes, I imagine that they'll possibly balk at first, but they'll come around. Especially Tommy and Jason."_

_"Zordon, they're not as strong as you said they were. I barely exerted any energy in dispatching them." At this, Zordon laughed out loud._

_"Zephyr, they're humans! Even with the Power, they are nowhere near as strong we were!"_

_"Were? You mean as YOU were. I'm still strong." Zordon quickly got serious again._

_"Yes, you are strong, Zephyr. But Azazel is __**still**__ stronger. And even as we speak, he is quickly regaining his strength."_

_"__**Yes, brothers. I am."**_

_Everything suddenly started to shake as they felt a new presence. Then, as quickly as it had started, the shaking stopped. Zordon and Zephyr stared as a dark purple cloud seeped from the ground and formed a semi-solid, standing human-ish figure._

_"Hello, Azazel. So nice of you to join us." said Zordon with an even tone. Zephyr simply stared, hate quickly forming on his face._

_**"Well, you know me, brother. Always trying to be the nice one!"**_

_"Even after you slaughter innocent people! Even after you destroy everything a person cares about!" Zephyr made to lunge after the cloud, but Zordon stopped him._

_**"Awww, still upset about poor Zoe? She was a waste, Zephyr. She was a waste of power."**_

_"YOU DARE SPEAK HER NAME?!?!" Zephyr struggled in his brothers grasp, trying to get free. Zordon held tighter._

_**"My, my, what a temper. I thought you would've trained him better in handling his emotions, Zordon."**_

_"After what you did to Zoe, Azazel, no amount of training would have helped."_

**_"Well, then he should have done what I done. He'd have been stronger."_**

"Yeah, and I also would have been psychopathic, murdering, maniacal, bastard!"

**"Now, now, that temper isn't going to help you at all if you keep on like that! Well, as much as I wish to stay and chat brothers, this little trip into the ether has drained me considerably. And I do need conserve my energy if I'm going to kill you all and destroy the universe!"** And without another word, the cloud dissipated, leaving Zordon and Zephyr by themselves. Zordon let Zephyr go and watched as the younger brother recomposed himself.

"Well, I suppose I better get back, too. That one named Kimberly is coming to see me, and judging by the aura around her presence, I'd say she's curious about some things involving us." Zordon narrowed his eyes at Zephyr.

"Brother, please be careful with Kimberly. And talk about Tommy with her."

"I know, Zordon. He's a sore subject with her. I'll be sure to be as good as you were. Though we both know no one will ever be as good as you." Zordon smiled at this.

"You are more than capable of being their mentor, Zephyr. After all, you learned it from me." Zephyr looked at Zordon and laughed, knowing it was the truth. He then bowed at Zordon, who returned the gesture.

"I'll see you again, brother."

"As I will you. May the Power protect you.

"May the Power protect you."

* * *

Kimberly raised her hand to knock on Zephyr's door, only to stop as she heard his voice call out.

"Come in, Kimberly." Surprised, Kim opened the door and stepped in. She looked around Zephyr's room, taking in the sight. Zephyr sat in the middle of the floor on a carpet, with his legs crossed and shirtless. Kim's jaw dropped as she got a good look at him. His chest and arms were covered in scars, so much that there was barely any unblemished skin left. Zephyr realized what she was staring at.

"Souvenirs from the many battles I was involved in. As powerful as me and my brothers were, even we still got hurt from time to time." Kim only nodded, her attention now focused on a very nasty scar that crossed from Zephyr's left shoulder to over his torso to his right hip.

"That was given to me by Azazel when he betrayed us."

"How could you survive that?" she asked.

"Eltarians are naturally strong and very hard to kill. I believe you're here with questions?" Kim raised an eyebrow.

"How'd you know?"

"I was speaking with Zordon when you decided to visit. I sensed your presence and your reason."

"You were talking to Zordon? How?"

"Maybe some other time. Let's tackle your queries first." Kim sighed. As much as she wanted to know how he had spoken to his dead brother, she also had other things she wanted to know.

"Okay. Why us? Aren't there other rangers out there? Younger ones?" Zephyr chuckled.

"Yes, there are. But there are reasons for me choosing you. Reasons I shall divulge tomorrow with everyone else since I don't want to repeat myself."

"Oh."

"Don't get discouraged. There are some questions you can ask me now that will answer, and some I will wait to answer." Kim thought for a minute, trying to decide what to ask.

"What's the plan?"

"You'll find out tomorrow."

"Ok, ok. Just getting an idea of what to ask. How well did you keep in contact with Zordon?"

"Everyday. I gave him daily reports on the status of the seal. Plus, we talked about all manner of things."

"Including us?"

"Yes, Kim, even you. All of you. He was especially fond of telling me about his children."

"His children?"

"Yes. Zordon saw you all as his own kids. Especially since he was unable to foster his own family. He'd always tell me about what was happening with every single one of you. Though I had never met any of you, I had come to know you as if I had been right there the whole time."

"So he told you about me and Tommy?"

"Yes, from your meeting to your break-up through letter." Kim fell silent for a minute. Zephyr never spoke or prodded, just waiting silently for her to calm down.

"You know, I regret that."

"I can tell you. You kept staring at him with deep care in your eyes almost the whole time." Kim stared at him, shocked that he had seen.

"I see a lot of things that others don't, Kim."

"Did you see him do anything?" she asked with hope in her voice.

"Other than get angry at me for no reason? No. He was too busy trying to fight me."

"Oh." disappointment crept into her tone.

"Don't worry, he still cares. But I'm going to have to cut this conversation short."

"Why?" Zephyr gave a look that said 'You really have to ask?'

"I'm tired. I need sleep too, Kim."

"Oh, sorry." She got up and walked to the door, but stopped when she got there. She turned around.

"Zephyr, I still wanna talk to you some time later alone. There's some things I need to know." Zephyr nodded.

"No problem, Pink Crane. I'll make time for you."

Kim nodded and left, suddenly wanting to fall into her bed and sleep for years, she was that tired.

Zephyr closed his eyes and let stray tears fall.

"She's just like Zoe..."

* * *

_A/N: Whew! Another chapter out for you all! I enjoyed writing this one and I hope you enjoyed reading it! I'll be sure to have the next one out soon. Until then, read and review as always! Later!_


	7. Old Enemies and New Fears

_A/N: Well, I took a small hiatus to take care of my personal life and to fix future elements of the story. Hopefully, it will get better and better if I've done this right._

_Chapter 7_

_Old enemies and New Fears_

* * *

Tommy rose from his bed and stretched out all of his muscles. As he opened his eyes, he didn't recognize his surroundings at first, still fighting through the early morning haze. But after only a few confused moments, he remembered that he was in his small apartment that Zephyr had given him in the newly rebuilt Command Center. He looked around the room and took it in.

It had been decorated in white, green, red, and black, all tastefully done. There was an area that represented his time as a Ranger, with his old uniforms proudly displayed for his viewing pleasure. Pictures galore were everywhere, showing him with his friends and teammates.

Tommy could have stayed there for sometime, reminiscing in his past. But he knew there was much to be done, especially with Zephyr and his friends.

Tommy had been thinking about his decision for a long while after, trying to decide what to do. In the end, he realized that, Ranger or not, he still had an obligation to fulfill. Not only that, but how could he claim to be "history's greatest Ranger" and even think about not saving the world?

When Tommy walked into the main room, he was greeted by the sight of the other former rangers and Zephyr standing around talking. Apparently, they had been waiting for him.

"Ah, and here comes sleeping beauty!" said Zephyr, causing everyone to look at him, which made Tommy blush.

"Nice to see you haven't changed much, Tommy." said Jason. Everyone laughed as Tommy joined the crowd, smiling and chuckling with the rest of them.

"All right, everyone. Settle." They all did as Zephyr said, and after a moment he asked the question they were waiting for.

"Well? Are you all ready to make a decision?" They all nodded in unison.

"Very well. Take a moment to confer amongst yourselves one final time before giving me an answer." And with that, he turned away to gaze at a screen filled with charts and graphs. The group all faced each other in a circle and began to talk.

"Well, guys. What's it gonna be?" asked Tommy.

"Tommy, I think you already know what we're gonna say. What kinda rangers would we be if we said no?" said Jason.

"He's right. We wouldn't say no to Zordon. And Zephyr is essentially Zordon. I'm in." spoke Katherine.

"You know I'm in!" said Zack.

"Me too." Rocky piped up.

"You can count on me and Trini" said Billy while Trini nodded. The others all gave their approval as Tommy's eyes met theirs. The last person he made eye contact with didn't let him down either.

"You know what my answer is, Handsome." Tommy's smile grew as wide as possible.

"Alright then, guys. Looks like we're gonna save the world again!"

"Excellent! That's great!" They all turned and looked at Zephyr, who had his hands raised in the air in triumph, with a sheepish look on his face.

"You were eavesdropping?" asked Billy.

"Can you blame me?" replied Zephyr, without lowering his arms.

"Well, now that you know we're in, what happens next?" Zephyr opened his mouth to speak when the alarms went off. He spun around and pressed a few buttons on the console he had been standing in front of, bringing an image up on the screen that shocked the rangers, as they watched a familiar gold-armored monster traipse through downtown Angel Grove.

"What the hell?! How's he still alive?!" yelled Jason. Zephyr looked at him.

"You know this odd fellow?"

"That's Goldar. He used to work for Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd years ago when we first started. But he's supposed to be dead!" said Kimberly. Zephyr turned back toward the screen.

"Hmm, for a dead monster, he looks rather mobile to me."

"We gotta stop him! You ready guys?" yelled Tommy.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on. What are you doing?" asked Zephyr. Tommy looked at him, flabbergasted.

"We're gonna stop him." he said, as if this should have been the most obvious thing ever.

"With what power?" asked Zephyr in return. Tommy continued to stare at him for a moment before he realized what he was talking about. They had only **just** agreed to help him. They were still without powers.

"You let me handle this one. I don't think he'll be a problem."

"Are you kidding?! He's over forty feet tall!" Zephyr glanced again at the screen.

"So he's a small fry. Big deal!" And before anyone else could raise a protest, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi! He's going to get himself killed!" exclaimed Alpha.

"Quick, Alpha, focus the screen." As Alpha did that, the rangers watched as Zephyr teleported into the middle of downtown, right at Goldar's feet.

* * *

Zephyr craned his neck upward to see the full scale of his opponent. Yes, the armored beast was tall, but that also made him slow. Which meant the beast didn't stand a chance.

"**WHO ARE YOU?! WHERE ARE THE POWER RANGERS?!**" yelled the creature. It's hot breath hit Zephyr full force, blowing his hair and clothes about, but not budging the man himself.

"Two things. One: The Power Rangers are not here, so you shall have to deal with me."

**"AND NUMBER TWO?!"** But before Goldar could say anything else, Zephyr was already moving. With incredible speed that rivaled lightning itself, Zephyr launched himself from the ground and moved up Goldar's leg, across his armored chest and up onto his nose. With a quick hand movement, Zephyr summoned a bo staff from nowhere and jammed it into the monster's eye. As Goldar recoiled in pain, Zephyr dropped back down to the ground, landing gently on his feet without a single scratch.

"Number two: You really need a mint."

When Goldar finally recovered, he raised his foot to squash Zephyr, who simply stood there and watched as the foot came closer and closer. But before it could crush him, Zephyr raised his hand, palm up, and stopped the foot... by himself!

"If that's the best you can do, you'd do well to retreat."

Goldar let out an enraged roar and made to force his foot down, until a booming voice interrupted.

"That's enough, Goldar. Return to you normal size for a moment."

"**BUT MASTER, I CAN DESTROY HIM!"**

"Look at yourself, you fool! He's holding you up with one hand! You are no match for him! Now stand down!" Goldar grumbled, but did as he was told. He shrunk down until he was just a little taller than Zephyr. Before Zephyr could do anything else, six intense blasts of energy appeared near Goldar. When they dissipated, there stood six figures, only one of who Zephyr recognized.

"Azazel."

* * *

"Oh no. Not them." said Kimberly. As she stared at the screen, she felt her stomach drop and her heart beat faster in fear.

On the screen stood the villains of the Rangers' past: Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa, Goldar, King Mondo of the Machine Empire, Divatox, and purple slime-coated man she didn't recognize. And there in the midst of the evil group stood who she assumed was Azazel. He closely resembled Zephyr except his hair was shorter and he had several scars criss-crossing his face. He also appeared to be worn out and could barely support himself.

* * *

"Apparently you've enough strength to gather minions, but not stand unaided, Azazel." spoke Zephyr. Azazel laughed, worrying Zephyr.

"Correct, brother. But when dealing with such simpletons, you don't need to display much power to convince them."

"Simpletons! Why you-!" Lord Zedd failed to finish his sentence as Azazel threw an energy bolt at him, barely missing hitting him directly, but getting it close enough to singe his exposed muscle. Zedd recoiled back into his spot and shivered.

"My apologies, master." he muttered. Azazel lowered his arm and brought his full focus back to Zephyr.

"So tell me brother, do you still think you can kill me?" he sneered.

"Even as I speak to you now, I struggle to keep myself from attacking." This got Azazel laughing.

"Now that's the little brother I knew! So what's stopping you?"

"I'm not a fool, Azazel. I know when I cannot win."

"Then why do you still defy me?" Azazel's eyes were full of curiosity and silent rage. Zephyr failed to miss it.

"Aren't all younger brothers supposed to be annoying?" he said with a smirk. Azazel's own smirk fell from his face, replaced by a scowl.

"Even in the face of oblivion, you still retain that impertinent attitude of yours. I should have eradicated you and Zordon both when I had the chance."

"Yes, well you didn't. And now I stand here before you, giving you such an easy target, and you can't even lift a finger." Zephyr spat out the sentence as he challenged Azazel to make a move. Both knew they were facing a stalemate currently. Azazel wasn't strong enough to fight Zephyr and win, but Zephyr was still outnumbered. Azazel's minions wouldn't have killed him, but they would wound him enough to make it easier for Azazel. After a minute of silence, Azazel began to chuckle.

"I see there is nothing I can do right now. But that's fine. The end has only just begun, Zephyr. Before the month is over, you and your Rangers will be dead, and I will have won." Zephyr studied his brother for a moment before replying.

"We shall see in a month." And they all teleported back to their places of hiding.

* * *

"Looks like the stakes have gotten higher." It was almost an hour later and Zephyr was sitting in the small lounge area he had constructed for the Rangers, with an icepack on his forehead. The confrontation with his brother had left him with a searing headache, as well as a lurching fear that wouldn't leave him. Azazel was the only person who ever truly frightened Zephyr, and that encounter had scared him to the core.

"So what do we do now?" asked Kimberly. Her and the others were all surrounding Zephyr, either sitting or standing. Zephyr rubbed his chin for a minute.

"Let's review for a second: Azazel is strong enough to have managed to resurrect your old enemies and make them his minions. This means that my original estimate of time is WAY off. He's gotten much stronger in a short amount of time. And as more time passes, he'll only get stronger." Zephyr stood up and began pacing.

"This also means that we've much less time to react and get our shit together. You all need to obtain your powers and be ready. Azazel will most likely use his minions to do tasks for him while he finishes recovering. Once he's finished, he'll begin his plan of destruction."

"How does he plan to do that, by the way?" asked Trini. Zephyr paused for a moment, considering her question.

"Honestly, I haven't the faintest idea. All I have is a theory, but it's far too dangerous, even for Azazel."

"And what's that?" asked Katherine.

"Well, if he's as crazy as I think, then he's going to try and open the gate to the Power Source and become a god."

"Wait, the what?" asked Aisha.

"The Gate. It's the physical entity that separates the source from the rest of existence. Every person in the universe is capable of drawing from the Source, but the Gate keeps a VERY close seal on that flow of power." Zephyr eyeballed the rest of the group and was met with confused looks from them all except for Billy.

"Ok, it's like this. The Gate is essentially a floodgate and the Source is like the water behind a dam. The Gate keeps most of the Source held at bay so that it can be accessible to people who need it in small forms. If the Gate is fully opened, then all of that power comes spilling out. And whoever it is that opens the Gate will most likely catch all of that power."

"Making them a god." spoke Kimberly in hushed tones. Everyone got it then.

"Exactly. And I'm sure you can imagine what a person with Azazel's sense of sanity would probably do." They all nodded. None of them needed to be told what an insane person would do with THAT amount of power.

"My god, this is so much to take in." said Rocky.

"Wait, you said that would also be dangerous for Azazel. What did you mean?" asked Trini.

"Well, it's pretty simple. The amount of power behind the Gate is tremendous. It's believed that it's too much for any one person. So the theory is that whoever opens the Gate will not only have the power of a god, but will probably be destroyed as well."

"Well, that's good then. Let him open the gate. Then he'll die and we won't have to do anything." said Adam.

"We can't allow that. It's only a theory. It's possible that he might get to be a god and not die either. And even if he does die from it, the power will continue to flow throughout the universe until the Gate is closed, and as it flows it will kill everything it reaches."

"So we're damned either way." said Tanya.

"Only if we don't stop him from opening the gate. If we can do that, then the other stuff won't be an issue."

"So then what now?" asked Jason. Zephyr looked at him and then let his gaze wander around to the rest of them.

"We'll get your new powers. After that, we'll have to keep an eye on Angel Grove. Whenever we see an attack from one of your past enemies, we'll respond. If we do things right, we may be able to track down Azazel before he has a chance to reach the Gate and stop him." Zephyr put his hands together and cracked his knuckles.

"Now lets go get you all powered up."

* * *

_A/N: Many apologies for the lateness of this chapter. Many things happened. I got lazy, and then as soon as I got the gumption to start writing again, we learned my grandmother was going into hospice care. She passed away on the 22 of April, so we had to drive up and visit with my family up here and attend her memorial service. Most of this chapter was written in Michigan, including this Author's Note. But in any case, the chapter is finished and more are on the way! As usual, read and review. And hopefully, there won't be any more long delays like this. At least, not for awhile._


	8. Powered up and Ready to Fight!

_A/N: Not much to say here except, enjoy!_

* * *

_Chapter 8_

_Powered up and Ready to Fight_

* * *

"Alright, guys pay attention so I don't have to repeat myself." Zephyr stood in the center of the room. Behind him were eleven tubes with machinery attached to them. The rangers stood in front of him, listening intently.

"Unfortunately, I was unable to restore your original powers. So I had to go a different route. Instead, I have created new power sources for you all." He stepped to the side and showed them what looked like watches on a table behind him. The original six recognized them immediately.

"Our old communicators!." exclaimed Billy.

"Actually, they're replicas. They also double as your morphers. Pressing the button on the side mechanically accesses your own connection to the power source, since you can't access it like me or Azazel. When you power up, you'll morph into a suit reminiscent of the original suits worn by the Might Morphin' team. Except there's no animal helmet, and these suits are heavily armored to withstand attacks better.

"In regards to your colors, the original five will retain theirs. Tommy, you will remain with white while Adam will take over the green powers. Rocky, Tanya, Kat, and Aisha will hold the new powers of Silver, Orange, Purple, and Gold, respectively. With these powers, you will be able to fight again. However, that doesn't mean you can beat Azazel yet! You just stand a better chance at survival.

"Now if you will all step into your designated chambers, we can begin the Re-Powering." Zephyr turned to a nearby console as the rangers stepped forward. Kimberly walked towards the chamber that had a faint pink light flowing from the top of it. Obviously hers. She glanced at the others, all of whom had grim looks on their faces.

_'Glad to see I'm not the only one who's nervous.'_ She glanced at Tommy. He was the only one who seemed to be fully in control of himself. In fact, he seemed to be anxious to get in.

_'Figures that he's excited about it. But then that's Tommy for you.'_

_'That's also why you still love him.' said the voice in her head._

_'Shut up!' _she told herself. She'd been arguing with herself about her feelings towards Tommy since she first saw him at Ernie's. At times, she felt like she was going insane. Still, she couldn't deny that she still had those feelings.

_'Focus, girl.'_ Regaining her composure, Kim stepped into the chamber and faced back towards Zephyr. The glass tube slid down and sealed tight around her. She jumped at the hissing of the seal, then forced herself to calm down again. Zephyr's voice floated into the tube.

"I'm beginning the process. Now this is gonna feel kinda funky. Consider yourself warned."

Kimberly was about to make a snarky comment to that, but before she could even formulate one, she felt her whole body get hit with a jolt of electricity. It wasn't painful, but it was weird. It felt like her body was being filled, with her skin stretching out. She looked at the others and saw their faces. They felt the same feeling. Zack actually looked like he was going to throw up. Kim could sympathize.

"Now beginning the second and last phase. You'll start seeing your colors surround you. Don't worry, it's normal." said Zephyr. Before he was even done speaking, Kimberly saw flashes of pink in her chamber. She glanced again and saw the other chambers filled with various lights. Her body still felt like it was being filled and charged with energy at the same time, but there was something different now. There was pain. It was small, but noticeable, right in the back of her skull.

"Kimberly, are you okay? I'm reading an anomaly from your chamber."

Before she could respond, the pain was suddenly ten times worse, like a sharp spike had been driven into her skull. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell in her chamber. By the time she hit the ground, she was unconscious.

* * *

"I have to admit Alpha, it's strange that this would happen to one of them. But to both? Surely, that means something on a deeper level. And how did we not find this before? I didn't detect any energy signatures form either of them."

"I don't know, Zephyr. You may need to ask Zordon. He'd know."

Kimberly struggled to wake up. The voices were slow and fuzzy, though she could still hear them. What had happened?

"I realize that, Alpha. But before I do, I need to speak with them both. Tommy has already woken up, but I still need her to."

Kim opened her eyes and saw two blurry figures that were quickly becoming clearer. Zephyr and Alpha were both standing over her, watching closely. Zephyr noticed her stirring first.

"Speak of the devil. She's coming around now." Kim raised a hand to her face and rubbed her eyes. The pain was gone, but her head was still throbbing a little.

"Are you alright, Kim. You gave us all a scare."

"What happened?" Kim asked as she sat up, with Zephyr holding his hand behind her back should she fall backwards.

"There was a slight glitch in the process, an event we hadn't forseen. You and Tommy were both rejecting the new power I was trying to give you."

"What? So... we're not powered up?"

"Oh no, you are. I couldn't stop the process to get you out, so I had to wait until it finished. You and Tommy have been repowered like the others. It's just that you and him didn't REALLY need it."

"What do you mean?" Kim asked.

"I'll explain in a minute when you and Tommy are both listening. I don't wanna explain it twice because, quite frankly, I'm unsure of it myself." Zephyr helped Kim up and led her to an adjacent room, where Tommy was sitting a couch with Billy and Jason. When Kim and Zephyr walked in, the men stood up in relief.

"Kim! Are you ok?" they asked.

"Before you boys smother her; yes, she's fine. There's nothing wrong with her. Now if you three will sit down, I'll explain." Kim sat down with the others, with Tommy on her left and Jason on her right.

"First, I want you to know that, with the exception of that hiccup, the process went fine and you are all powered up and ready to fight. Once I've settled everything here, we'll all head to the training room and get you all used to everything. Understand?"

Four head nods.

"Good. Now as for what happened, it's actually very interesting. It seems that Tommy and Kimberly never stopped being Power Rangers." The 4 rangers stared at Zephyr.

"What are you talking about?' asked Billy.

"Well, after everything went haywire and we got Tommy and Kim out, I ran a few tests to find out what went wrong. It turns out that both Tommy and Kim still retained a small portion of their Ninjetti powers, so when I began the process of placing the new powers into you all, those Ninjetti powers started clashing with the new powers. In a way, they were fighting over which would be the dominate power. Thankfully, the Ninjetti powers were minimal, so the new powers were able to assimilate them with no hassle."

"What would've happened if they hadn't?" asked Jason. Zephyr thought for a moment.

"Most likely the struggle would have been too much and would have killed Tommy and Kim. Good thing that wasn't the case, eh?"

Tommy and Kim exchanged wide eyed glances as they realized how close they had come to what could have been a messy death.

"Anyway, because of the assimilation, Tommy and Kim now posses both the new powers and their original Ninjetti powers. They are now the most powerful members on the team."

The four sat in awe. Despite everything they had been through, these recent events were throwing even more surprises at them. Zephyr watched them with a smile on his face, but with a heavy heart. He knew what they were soon to face.

"Well, now that everything has been settled, shall we head to the training room and test out your new strengths?"

* * *

A few minutes later, they were all standing in the training room. None of them had been inside it yet, and were amazed at it's size. It was a large open hall with a ceiling 30 feet high, roughly 100 feet long and 50 feet across, obviously meant for intense sparring.

"Let's make this simple: You all morph and attack me. Your goal is to land just one successful attack."

"That's it? That's our test run? Just hit you one time?" asked Jason.

"Yes. If any one of you can land a single attack successfully, then you'll be ready to tackle Azazel. Now power up."

The 11 rangers looked at each other in confusion, but all began to smile. Sure, Zephyr had beaten them before, but now they were powered up and ready to fight.

"Alright guys, let's do this. It's morphin' time!"

They all pressed the silver buttons on the side of their communicators. In a flash of brilliant light, they changed into their armored suits, each shouting their color.

"Red!"

"Yellow!"

"Blue!"

"Black!"

"Pink!"

"White!"

"Green!"

"Silver!"

"Orange!"

"Purple!"

"Gold!"

As each Ranger yelled their color, the suits formed around them, appearing form nowhere until their heads were covered by the familiar helmets. When the morphing was complete, they studied the new suits.

"Whoa! Awesome heads up display, Zephyr!" said Billy.

"You like that? Those helmets can feed you all sorts of information of any kind without overloading you. They're all connected to each other, so you'll always know how the others are doing at any given time while powered up."

"Man, this is sweet!" said Zack.

"Well, I'm glad you like them. But I think you should be worried about your enemy right now." The rangers quickly focused on Zephyr, who had clasped his hands together.

As they watched, Zephyr began to change. Lightning, or something similar, started crackling around his arms. Then his body was engulfed in white light that was bright enough to temporarily blind them. When the light faded, Zephyr stood there, wearing armor that was similar to theirs in design. Only instead of being made from metal and leather, his seemed to be formed from a white semi-transparent crystal. Energy was continuously arcing around his arms and a faint glow was emanating from his visor, where his eyes would be.

"Well? Are you ready?" His voice had taken on an otherworldly tone, and as he raised his hands, that energy seemed to pulse. Tommy felt some fear at Zephyr's powered form, but his confidence as a ranger was quickly coming back, and he found himself ready to dive into battle yet again.

"We're ready! Let's do this!"

Tommy was the first to charge, running at Zephyr with full speed. When he was only 2 feet away, he cocked his fist back, ready to throw a solid punch. But when he swung, Zephyr disappeared.

Or rather, he had moved behind Tommy so fast that it seemed like he had disappeared. And before Tommy could react, Zephyr had grabbed him by the helmet and slammed him down onto the floor. Had Tommy not been morphed, the sudden blow would've seriously injured him, if not outright kill him. Instead, it just knocked him silly and made his head throb.

"Aww, down so easily?" said Zephyr with a mocking tone.

"Motherfucker!" Tommy barely registered the fact that it was Kimberly who had screamed the obscenity. He was too busy trying to regain his senses. But it was indeed the Pink Terror who had cursed at Zephyr and who was now leading a 10 person charge against the Eltarian warrior.

One would think that with 10 people fighting against one, someone would have managed to land a hit. Then again, Zephyr was no ordinary one. For every attack they threw, he was able to dodge or deflect it and throw 5 of his own attacks, always hitting them hard enough for them to register the hit but not seriously injure them. His speed was mind boggling! He was practically teleporting around the room, hitting and tossing the Rangers as if they were nothing! He only stopped or slowed down to taunt them with cheeky remarks.

Finally, after a solid 15 minutes of horrific torture, Tommy figured it out: They couldn't land a single attack on Zephyr. He was too damned fast! They were far outclassed.

"Enough! We're done! We can't beat you." Tommy's voice was filled with disappointment.

The others stopped and stared at Tommy. They had never seen him concede defeat before. It was an alien sight. Zephyr simply stared at Tommy intently.

"You've all had enough?" The others looked at each other and realized what Tommy already knew. They nodded at Zephyr.

"Very well." Without moving, Zephyr powered down. He was smiling as he looked at them.

"You may all power down now. You've done well."

"But we couldn't hit you." balked Kat as she and the others returned to normal.

"Yeah. If we can't hit you, how can we hit Azazel? He's gotta be ten times faster than you!" said Adam.

"Actually, I was always the fastest out of us all. Azazel focused more on brute force and power while Zordon preferred to use his skill with his powers."

"So if you're faster than Azazel, why'd you make us do that? You knew we wouldn't be able to hit you."

"You're right, Adam, I knew that. But if you can get used to keeping up with me, you can get used to dodging Azazel's attacks and staying alive." They all stared at him in disbelief.

"In any case, you all will still need more training before we really attempt to tackle Azazel, so don't fret over today. You'll get better. So take a rest and enjoy yourselves. You've earned it!"

And with that, he walked out of the training room, leaving the rangers to nurse their wounds.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cave roughly 50 miles away from Angel Grove, Azazel was pacing back and forth in his hastily made throne room. When he had arrived on Earth, the cave had sheltered him in his weakened state, allowing him to rest. Once he had regained sufficient strength, he had used his powers to alter the cave slightly, giving himself a seat to sit on, as well as a large fire pit which served no purpose other than fearsome decoration, though Azazel wouldn't dare admit this publicly. And it's that very fire pit that he's pacing around, his face set in a look of ponderous worry.

"I should have been fully powered by now. Why am I not?"

"What are you talking about, Master?" asked Goldar. He and the others were standing around the pit, watching Azazel in fearful anticipation.

"I have not regained my full strength, you moron. I've been out of that tomb long enough that I should've reestablished my connection to the Source. But for some strange reason, I'm only half as strong. It... disturbs me."

"So you're not as strong as you led us to believe, eh? Should have figured as much as." spoke the purple slime-coated man. He was wearing long dark purple robes that seemed to be made of some kind of ooze. It seemed as if the clothes were a part of him.

"Don't be fooled, Ivan Ooze. I'm more than powerful enough to destroy you." snarled Azazel, staring at Ooze with red lightning sparking from his eyes, silencing the slime man instantly.

"If I may, master?" asked Lord Zedd. Azazel waved his hand, silently indicating his permission to speak.

"Shouldn't we be focusing on whatever goals it is you have in mind?"

"Idiot, my goals require me to be at full strength!" Azazel's rage flared up again, causing energy bolts to fly out in all directions, one of which grazed Golders wing, singing a few feathers.

"I can't do much when I'm only running on half my true strength! I need to figure out why I've not fully recovered!" Azazel finished speaking and then softened. He realized something.

"Although I agree that we can't just sit around here doing nothing. Goldar!"

"Yes, master!" Goldar snapped to attention.

"I have an assignment for you. Go to Angel Grove and find a bus full of small children. Take them hostage. And if the Rangers decide to interfere, slaughter them."

"Right. Take kids hostage. If Rangers try to stop me, slaughter the Rangers." Goldar turned to leave...

"No, Goldar." Goldar turned back around.

"Ehh?"

"If the Rangers intervene, slaughter the children."

For the first time in his existence, Goldar was shocked beyond words. What Azazel had told him to do had blindsided him. Sure, he had done some monstrous things before, but never harming children!

"But, Master, they are only children! They're innocent!"

Azazel was nowhere near as fast as Zephyr, so Goldar was able to see what he did. But Azazel was still too fast for the warrior for him to react. By the time he could think about reacting, he was already hanging upside down over the pit by his foot, which Azazel was holding with only two fingers! As Goldar stared down into the blaze some 50 feet below him, fear flowed through his veins like nothing he had ever felt.

"Are you disobeying me, Goldar? Me, Azazel of Eltar? The most feared and powerful warrior in existence? Of all time?"

"NO, MASTER! I JUST MISUNDERSTOOD!" Azazel flung Goldar to the wall, where he crumpled to the floor.

"I thought that was what happened." said Azazel as he crouched in front of Goldar and grabbed him by the jaw. He then stood up and lifted Goldar off the ground by the jaw.

"Now you go do what I ordered. And if you fail, I'll rip your head off with my bare hands. Understand?"

"Y-yes, M-master." cried Goldar feebly.

"Good. Now go." He let go of Goldar and went and sat on his throne. When he finally recollected himself, Goldar left for Angel Grove.

"I trust that the rest of you know what to expect from me if you fail, right?" The other villains nodded their heads gravely. They had watched the whole scene transpire in silence, not wanting Azazel's rage to befall them.

* * *

Back at the Command Center, Kimberly was practicing on the balance beam that Zephyr had installed just for her. Despite how long it had been since she had practiced, Kimberly still felt at home on the beam, executing complex moves with ease and confidence. No worries about monsters or saving the world. Just her, the beam, and her routine. As well as Tommy, who was standing off to the side, watching her preform.

Throughout the events that had transpired as of late, Tommy's mind kept drifting back to Kimberly. But other problems and issues kept forcing his attention away from her. But here, in this moment of peace, he had plenty of time to think: about her and him, about his life so far, about what happened next, as well as many other things. But she was what kept overriding everything else. All other thoughts paled in comparison to her, like shadows trying to overtake pure light. It couldn't be done.

Despite what had happened to them, Tommy felt no hatred towards Kim. Only curiosity. Who was the man who had stolen her from him? Why had she written the letter instead of telling him to his face? Tommy knew he wouldn't get the answers unless he talked to Kim directly.

As she finished her routine and stepped off, Tommy started clapping, startling Kim.

"Jesus, Tommy! You scared me!" she cried.

"What, did you think I was some monster like Goldar or something?"

"Well, no, but I wasn't expecting anyone to be around. Or watching me for that matter." Tommy laughed.

"Well, I'm sorry for scaring you." She smiled.

"Apology accepted. So what brings you out here? Drooling over my fine figure in these skin tight leotards?" Tommy began to blush.

"While you do have a very fine figure that I enjoy gawking at, no. I actually wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" she asked cautiously.

"Oh, just different things. Like what we've been doing. A few minutes on the phone at 3 in the morning isn't really all that informative." Kim laughed this time.

"No, I suppose you're right. C'mon. Let's sit down."

And sit they did. They talked about almost everything that had happened. How Kim had managed to place second in the Olympics for gymnastics, how she had decided to turn to teaching the sport, which was her reason for moving back to Angel Grove, and how the guy she had dated after Tommy broke her heart.

"He was a real asshole, Tommy. He was always screwing around behind my back, stealing money from me... About the only thing he didn't do was beat me, and I think the only reason he didn't was because I could kick his ass and he knew it."

"So then how'd you fall for him?" asked Tommy.

"I don't know. I guess it was because I was lonely without you there and he said sweet things." She paused for a moment. "Tommy, I'm sorry about the letter. And for breaking up with you. I never should have done that."

"Hey, hey... don't get sad. You probably wouldn't have made it as far as you did if I was hanging around your neck like a stone weight."

"Yeah, but I'd have been happier. I missed you, Tommy."

"I missed you too." Their faces had been slowly inching closer as they talked, and they were getting even closer. Kim could feel Tommy's breath on her lips, where she hoped his lips would soon be. But when his lips were only mere inches from hers, the alarms sounded, indicating an attack in Angel Grove.

"Ugh, Damn it!"

"We need to go."

* * *

They got up and ran to the main chamber, where the others were waiting for them. Zephyr turned towards them.

"Tommy, your old friend Goldar has taken a school bus full of children hostage. He's threatening to kill them if the Rangers don't show."

"He's actually making threats to kill? When'd he start that?" asked Adam.

"Probably when my brother ordered him to. Tommy, I'm sending you and the original team out to handle it. Myself and the others will stay here, just in case this is a diversion."

"Understood, you guys ready?" he asked the others as they fell in behind him.

"You know it!" said Jason, as the others nodded in agreement.

"Alright then! It's Morphin' time!"

And in a flash of light, they were gone.

* * *

_A/N: Well, that was a long and exhausting chapter to write. Again, I apologize for the time it took to get this out. The usual BS applies._

_Also, I'd like to note that from this point forward, the story shall be getting much more serious and much darker. I'd like to think that the people who are reading this more than likely watched the original series and are older and prefer reading mature material._

_How mature? Several characters will die in this story. Some minor, a few major, all characters we know. Their will be blood and violence, as well as language. After all, I DID rate the story M. The next chapter will hold the first character death, so you have been warned._

_Also, I feel that some people will point out that Ivan Ooze only existed in the first film continuity and not the show. I realize this, but Ooze was a cool character, so I decided to include him here in the story. So there!_

_Anyway, enjoy this installment until next time! Later!_


	9. Back to Action!

_A/N: Alrighty, here's the newest chapter! Now before you read, there's a couple things I need to address right here and now._

_Firstly, this chapter will mark where things get VERY serious. Characters will die, obscenities will be said, and things will get very tense sexually. So if that kind of stuff really doesn't appeal to you, you might wanna stop now. But if you have been reading the story so far, you may as well keep going. Besides, it won't be to excess._

_Also, I'm going to start going back and tweaking the previous chapters so that they're better. I found a lot of continuity errors and overall badness that needs to be addressed. So if you get an alert saying 'New Chapter!' but you don't see a chapter 10, it's because I re-uploaded a previous chapter. Hopefully, everything will make more sense once I retcon some things. I'll be posting these revised chapters every weekend!_

_Anyway, here's the newest chappie!_

* * *

_Chapter 9_

_Back to Action!_

When the Rangers landed in Downtown Angel Grove, the first thing they noticed was the bus. It was surrounded by cop cars, with the police taking careful aim at the bus with their handguns. But as soon as they teleported, the cops turned and saw the Rangers, as did the many others who were there watching the spectacle.

"The Power Rangers!"

"It's the Power Rangers!"

"Alright, Rangers! Kick his ass!"

"Alright, guys. Let's handle this easy. Lives are at stake." said Tommy.

"Right!" said the others. They began to walk over towards the scene. Once they reached the line of cop cars, a familiar voice yelled towards them.

"Rangers! Surrender yourselves to Azazel at once! Otherwise, these children shall pay with their lives.!"

"Give it up, Goldar! We're back in action! You can't win!"

"Things change, Rangers. The rules are different this time around. No one is safe!"

"Is it just me, or did Goldar seem a little frightened just now?" whispered Billy.

"Of course he's scared. He's facing us!"

"No, Tommy. Billy's right. It sounded like he was afraid for his life when he said that. As if what he said scared him." said Trini.

"You think so?"

"It does seem that way, bro." said Jason.

"Well, I guess we'll have to ask him. But first things first..." Tommy made to advance forward, but before he could, Goldars voice floated out from the bus again.

"Careful Rangers. If you try anything, I'll kill everyone of these kids!" To emphasize his point, Goldar pushed a small boys head out of a window and held his sword to the kids throat. Several people in the crowd screamed at the sight while Kimberly and Tommy both visibly jerked forward, only to be stopped by the others.

"No, you two. Remember that Azazel probably ordered this. If we agitate this, Goldar will carry out his orders, just so he can please his master." said Jason as he held back Tommy.

"That's right, Jason. More than likely, Azazel ordered Goldar to kill those kids if we intervened. But there is a way around this." Zephyr's voice filled their helmets.

"There is?

"Rangers, equipped on everyone of your suits is an optic camouflage unit that renders the wearer almost completely invisible to the naked eye. Might I suggest that one of you utilize this tool while the rest of you distract Goldar?" Zephyr's voice crackled over the communicator built into their helmets.

"Brilliant, Zephyr! But how do we activate it?"

"...Simply say 'Activate Camouflage' Billy."

"Oh. Activate camouflage." As soon as Billy finished saying it, he felt a strange surge flow through him. When he glanced down at his hands, he was amazed to see that, while he could still barely make out his figure, he was almost completely translucent.

"Great work, Billy! You go take care of Goldar while we distract him. If nothing else, make it so that he can't hurt those kids. Then we can get in there and finish the job."

"You got it, Tommy!"

"You better hurry, Billy. That camouflage can only hold for about 2 minutes before it shuts off to recharge." said Zephyr.

"Be careful, honey." said Trini.

"Right." Said Billy, as he quickly ran towards the back of the bus, behind Goldars' line of sight.

_'I may be almost completely invisible, but better safe than sorry.'_

As Billy walked around the bus, he found an open window near the back. Using his skills he remembered from his Ninja Ranger days, Billy climbed up and into the bus without making a sound. Once he was in, he looked around and assessed the situation.

Goldar was towards the front of the bus, with a 12 or 13 year old boy in his arms, his blade held against the boy's throat. There were several other small children in the bus. All were crying and hiding their faces from the monster that had taken them hostage.

Billy felt white hot rage pour through his veins. He had fought against Goldar before many times in the past, but this was the first time had ever felt any kind of true hatred towards the monster. This was the first time he had ever personally wring Goldar's neck.

"Don't take this the wrong way, kids. It's not personal. I just have orders." Billy couldn't believe his ears. Did Goldar just apologize to the kids for taking them hostage? He shook the thought away. He needed to do something and quick. The gauge in his visor was telling him that he had only a minute before the camouflage shut off to recharge. But he couldn't do anything as long as the blade was that close to the boy's neck.

"Don't try anything funny, Rangers! Or it's over for all of them!" Goldar yelled out the bus, waving his sword. As soon as the blade swung away, Billy leaped forward and snatched the boy away from Goldar. Once the boy was clear, Billy delivered a powerful kick to Goldar's chest with enough force to launch Goldar through the **closed** door and onto the street.

"Nice kick, Billy." spoke Zephyr through the helmet.

"Thanks."

Billy leaped out into the street and started towards Goldar who had recovered and was starting to back away, his sword pointed at Billy.

"Stay back, Blue Ranger! I-I mean it!."

"Just stop this, Goldar." said Billy. Right at that time, the rest of the rangers, who had heard the commotion, joined Billy's side.

"That's right, Goldar. It's over. Just stop this." said Tommy.

"It doesn't have to end this way, Goldar." said Jason.

"I don't have a choice, Rangers. If I fail, he'll kill me."

"It doesn't have to be that way." Without warning Zephyr faded into sight right then and there, between the Rangers and Goldar. He was staring at Goldar intently with his hand open to him. He was transparent, as if he wasn't really there.

Back at the Command Center, Zephyr was standing in the center of the room. His eyes were pure white as he separated himself from his body.

"It doesn't have to be that way, Goldar. You can escape my brother. I can help you leave him." the entity said.

"N-no you can't. You share the same demonic blood as him."

"What do you mean?"

"You and your brothers are just pawns for a demon! You're just as evil as he is, even if you don't know it!" Upon hearing his, the image of Zephyr began to crackle with energy.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Check your family history if you really wanna know!" And with those words, Goldar teleported away.

* * *

At the Command Center, Zephyr snapped back to reality, his eyes returning to normal. He exhaled a sharp breath and began looking around at the Rangers who had stayed behind. His eyes focused on Adam.

"Call the Rangers back. I'll be in my room and I'm not to be disturbed. Understand?"

"Sure, but why?" asked Adam.

"I need to speak with Zordon."

* * *

When the Rangers returned, after dealing with many civilians congratulating them on their return, they were told about Zephyr needing to speak with Zordon.

"How can he speak with Zordon? He's dead." said Jason.

"Zephyr has some weird ability to talk with Zordon. He hasn't told me how he does it yet." said Kimberly.

"And how do you know this?"

"I... talked with him awhile back after he had finished talking to Zordon. He said he'd tell me how he did it some other time."

"So what do we do?" asked Trini.

"Look's like we just take it easy for awhile. Try to relax, guys." said Tommy, who then walked towards the elevator leading down to the dorm area. Kimberly watched him as he left. At that moment, she had the strongest urge to follow him and make sure he was ok, but she swatted that thought away as soon as she had it.

_'You're not his girlfriend anymore. Stop thinking like that.'_

Besides, now was not the time.

* * *

Back in Zephyr's room, the Eltarian warrior was sitting on the floor with his legs crossed and his arms resting on his thighs. His mind was focusing on reaching his deceased brother.

As he opened his eyes, he saw the room only briefly before it melted and dissolved away into the Eltarian fields. Zephyr rose to his feet and began to walk forward.

"Zordon? Where are you?"

"Yes, Zephyr?" came the reply form behind Zephyr. He turned and saw his older brother standing there, dressed in his old armor and cloak from his youth.

"I need to speak with you. We have problems."

"Yes, Zephyr. I have been watching. I heard what Goldar said."

"Then you know why I am here."

"It's most certainly not to discuss the weather." Zordon chuckled.

Despite the circumstances, Zephyr couldn't help but laugh at Zordon's quick joke. He began to wonder if he was going crazy.

"Is now really the time for jokes, brother?" Zephyr said through chuckles.

"I apologize, Zephyr. But, in any case, I cannot fathom what Goldar meant by his comments."

"How far back does our family line go?" As Zephyr asked, a large stone tablet grew up from the ground. On it were several names and dates, with Zephyr, Zordon, and Azazel at the bottom.

"I suppose this is our family tree?"

"Correct, Zephyr. There's nothing truly out of the ordinary until you reach the top, where our bloodline starts."

Zephyr looked at the spot on the tablet that Zordon had indicated. Sure enough, where the family line started, the name of the patriarch had been scratched out.

"Why is the founder of our entire family erased?"

"I do not know, but it must have something to do with what's been happening between us."

"Even going back to 15,000 years ago?"

"Yes, Zephyr. I believe that even Azazel's insanity has something to do with our bloodline and that name that has been scratched off."

"I see. So how would I find that out?" Zordon thought about it for a moment.

"Perhaps you should consult the elders on this matter."

"The Elders, Zordon? Would they be able to help here?"

"The Elders know far more about family bloodlines than anyone else. They should be able to tell you who it is and how they are connected to all of this." Zephyr thought about this for a moment. Did he really have a choice?

"Alright, I'll ask them. Where would I find them?"

"The Elders reside in a temple at the base of a dormant volcano back on Eltar, near where we had our first Command Center."

"You mean the one where Domitor the Conqueror died in battle?"

"Yes, brother."

"Very well. I'll find them."

"May the Power protect you.

"And may the Power protect you, Zordon."

* * *

Tommy was in his room, rubbing his temples in an attempt to smooth out the headache he had. It wasn't working. He gave up and walked towards his "fridge" for a ham sandwich, when he heard knocking at his door.

"Who is it?" he called out.

"Kimberly." Tommy smiled a little bit despite his exhaustion. He realized he needed to see her.

"Come in."

Kimberly gently opened the door and walked in to find Tommy standing in the middle of his room with his hands in his pockets, watching her.

"Hey. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just have a slight headache."

"Oh." Kim tried to find something to say, and when she couldn't think of anything on her own, she started looking around the room for ideas. Her eyes focused on the wall where his old uniforms were hanging. She recognized all but the last.

"You were a black Ranger?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. Back in Reefside, there was a team of Rangers there. I was their mentor and Black Dino Ranger."

"Ah. You know, I think black looks great on you." she said, referring to the black shirt that he was wearing.

"Really?"

"Yeah. But white is still my favorite. You were my white knight."

"Yeah. But not anymore." Tommy's voice was filled with hurt and sadness. He didn't mean to sound that way, but he couldn't help it. The Letter had hurt him.

"Tommy. I'm sorry about everything that happened. If I could, I'd never have written that damn letter. I'd have never left you." Her voice started to get thick as tears threatened to overtake her. Tommy reacted swiftly, pulling her close to him. She automatically buried her face in his chest. Within seconds, the years and distance that had separated them melted away. In that moment, everything had been forgiven, if only non-verbally.

"Listen to me, Kim. I don't blame you for what happened. In fact, I'm thankful."

"You're thankful I broke your heart?" she sobbed.

"Yeah. If you hadn't dumped me, I would have never gone out and dated other girls. And if I hadn't done that, I would have never realized how much I missed you. My only regret is taking so long to figure it out."

Kimberly pulled her head away form his chest to look into his eyes. As she did, she lost herself in them, and soon lost control. Her lips found his and began kissing them with a ferocity reminiscent of an animal. Tommy kissed her back just as hard, if not harder. But before things could get farther, Kimberly pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Tommy. But it's too soon." she said, panting.

"No, I agree. It's not the right time." He was also out of breath.

"Um, I'm gonna go. All right?"

"Uh, Yeah. Alright. Uh, I'll talk to you later."

"Ok. Bye, Tommy." she said as she moved towards his door.

"Bye, Kim." And as his door closed, Tommy sat back on the bed. Now he had a headache **and** arousal to deal with!

* * *

When Zephyr returned to his body, he got up and walked into the main control room, where Alpha 5 was working on some consoles.

"Alpha, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Zephyr! I was adjusting the scan modules to see if we could track where Goldar went, but they couldn't do it, so I'm recalibrating them for overall activity."

"Oh. Very good, Alpha. When you're done, please gather all the rangers in here. I need to speak with them.

"Is everything alright?" Zephyr stood and stared at the robot, formulating his thoughts. What could he say?

"I don't know, Alpha. Suddenly, it seems as if has changed for the worse."

After Alpha 5 contacted the others and they gathered in the main chamber, Zephyr looked at them all, trying to figure out what to say.

"What's going on, Zephyr?" asked Tanya. Zephyr sighed before responding.

"Well, Rangers, it seems I must leave you for a short while."

"What? Why?" asked Rocky.

"What Goldar said about my family disturbed me. After consulting with Zordon, I've decided to head back to Eltar briefly and confer with The Elders, basically the wise men of my planet. They might have the information I need."

"What information?" asked Kim.

"I have reason to believe that whatever caused Azazel to go insane might be linked to an ancestor in my family, someone who's name has been crossed out and forgotten."

"But if he's forgotten, then why worry about it?" said Jason.

"I don't know about here, but on Eltar, if someone is wiped from even their own family line, it's because they did something horrible enough that their own family wanted nothing to do with them."

They talked a little more about what they needed to do while he was gone, mostly to just keep an eye on things and respond to any emergencies like they did when they first started out. While they were talking, Kimberly was studying Zephyr. Despite his obvious attempts at hiding it, this new development apparently worried him. She could see it in his eyes. The fear and worry was as obvious as sunlight. At least to her.

"And remember, if you get in a situation that's too difficult, run. It's more important that you all survive. I'll need everyone of you to take Azazel down."

"How long will you be gone?" asked Zack.

"Not long. 3 days at the most. I plan on teleporting as close as I can get to the temple that they reside in. Although that will only get me as close as 10 miles, due to an energy interference that prevents me from getting closer. I'll have to walk the rest of the way." Zephyr didn't tell them but he also decided to make a short side trip to his old Command Center, from before all of this madness. He had some loose ends to tie up.

"Alright, Zephyr. We'll handle everything." said Tommy.

"See that you do. Tommy, you're in charge while I'm gone."

Tommy nodded in response. Zephyr watched them for a moment before speaking again.

"Rangers. Please, be careful. If Azazel finds out I'm gone, there's no telling what he will do in my absence." They all nodded as Zephyr turned towards a console and typed in the coordinates of Eltar. When he finished he moved to the center of the room and waited.

"Alright, Alpha. When I'm ready to return, I'll contact you with my coordinates there. Understand?"

"You got it, Zephyr!" replied the robot.

"Good. Send me out." Alpha turned and pressed a single button on the console. Zephyr was swallowed in a column of light and disappeared before the rangers eyes.

* * *

Back in Azazel's cave, Goldar was on the floor in front of Azazel, pleading for his life.

"I'm sorry, Master! I didn't know they could turn invisible like that! I tried, I really did! I did not mean to fail you!" As Goldar went on, Azazel simply stared at him with a look of what appeared to be genuine sympathy for the monster. He then reached down and grabbed Goldar by the shoulders.

"Goldar, it's alright. Now stand." He did as he was told. "It's alright, Goldar. You didn't know they had that little trick. How could you have known? I completely understand and you are forgiven." Azazel smiled at Goldar, his hands still on his shoulders. Goldar stopped trembling and began to feel safe.

But then Azazel's face changed, this time to one of pure rage. Within a second, his eyes flashed red and crackled energy as he bared his teeth and snarled. This would be the last thing Goldar saw as Azazel grabbed him by the top of his head and pulled.

Had Goldar been aware of it, the pain would have been excruciating as the muscles, veins, and bones in his neck were separated by brute force. As Azazel ripped Goldars head from his body with one hand, his other hand tossed Goldars body into the flaming pit. He then turned and faced to other villains and held Goldars head in front of them, with the blood still pouring from the severed neck.

"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FUCKING FAIL ME!" screamed Azazel. As they watched the madman hold the head like a trophy, the villains knew that the rules had truly changed. Forever.

* * *

_A/N: Whew! According to Open Office, this chapter is 8 pages long, which translates as pretty long on ! I'm spent! Now for some concerns..._

_A lot of you will probably have problems with my killing characters off. Believe me, I don't like it, myself. I hated killing Goldar as he was one of my fav villains. But I think that by killing certain characters off, that shows how things have changed within the Ranger universe here in this story. It also shows exactly how evil Azazel is, something I wanted to clearly clarify._

_As for the language, that's more to show that the Rangers aren't kids anymore, as well as being a way to express intense emotion at a given moment, i.e. Azazel at the very end here._

_Like I said in the last chapter a/n, I'm willing to bet the people who are reading this are about my age, if not older, and watched the original series back in the nineties. As such, they probably want to read a more mature PR story like I do, so this is it._

_Anyway, thanks for reading, and be sure to subscribe and review if you haven't already! I'll be posting the revised Chapter one along with this! Til next time!_


	10. Storm Cloud Rising

_A/N: This chapter has been long in coming, and I'm glad to finally release it! To explain, a lot of shit happened to delay this, mainly my computer catching a nasty virus and having to be completely reset. While I did manage to get a free upgrade to Windows 7, I lost most of the chapter I had already written. But then, I suppose that was a good thing, because I like how it turned out this time. Better, in my opinion._

_Just so you all know, what with the holidays coming up, I've decided to take a break from this story until after the new year. I'm gonna be real busy spending time with my family and playing with all the cool stuff I'm gonna get, with my birthday AND Christmas coming up! In fact, later tonight I'm getting' CoD: Black Ops! So, yeah, I'm gonna be busy..._

_In any case, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter in my ongoing epic! Plenty of awesome stuff: old friends and team mates, plenty of violence, and some good ol' fashioned foreshadowing of future events._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 10

Storm Cloud Rising

It was a warm summer day as the transit bus pulled up to the corner in Downtown Angel Grove and stopped. As the door opened, four young adults stepped out, each one dressed predominately in red, blue, white, and yellow. Here in Angel Grove, they were just four nondescript kids visiting the city. But back in their hometown of Reefside, they were better known as the Dino Thunder Rangers, one of the later generation of ranger teams. They are also the former high school students of Tommy Oliver, and it was he they were searching for.

"So this is Angel Grove, huh?" asked Connor McKnight, the red Dino Ranger. "Not too bad, except for the damage." He was referring to the damage done from Goldar the other day, which was still being cleaned up.

"Yep. This definitely looks like a monster attack. So do you think Dr. O was here?" asked Kira Ford.

"Are you kidding? How could he stay away? This is like a hobby for him!" said Ethan James.

"So where do we start looking?" asked Trent Fernandez.

"How 'bout we head to that juice bar? You know, the one he used to hang out at as a kid?"

"Connor, he's almost 40. Why would he go to some teen spot?" asked Ethan.

"That's where he spent most of his time when he was our age. Maybe he'd go back to relive his youth." said Connor.

Ethan looked at Connor for a second.

"So I'm finally starting to rub off on you. Finally!"

"Do you see me messin' around with computers and video games?" Connor retorted.

"Hey, guys. Let's get to work. We gotta find Dr. O and see if there's anything we can do to help." said Kira, as she started walking forward.

"But how can we help? We're powerless." asked Trent.

"Those fights had Rangers involved. It wouldn't surprise me if Dr. O had a hand in it. Hell, he might even be one of them! Maybe he'll let us fight too."

"Fat chance." mumbled Connor.

"We still have to try. There has to be **some **way we can help."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Youth Center, Tommy and Jason were on the fighting mats, sparring with each other. Things had been calm, and they, as well as the others, were taking the time to unwind a little and prep for the upcoming battles. This was how they'd chosen to unwind, while the others were doing different things for themselves. Billy, Zack, and Adam were back at the Command Center, keeping watch on things; Kimberly, Aisha, Tanya, Trini, and Katherine all went on a shopping trip; and Rocky was exercising back at the Command Center. Seeing as how things could snap at any given moment, they were using the peace to their advantage.

Tommy bowed to Jason as they finished a round of light sparring and wiped the sweat from his brow. After taking a sip from his water bottle, he looked at Jason.

"Hey, man. Let's take a break. I need to fill up my bottle."

"Yeah, sure. You just a need a break from the ass-kicking I'm handing out."

"Uh, excuse me? Who got thrown to the mat a minute in?" said Tommy, smiling.

"Don't get cocky, Tommy. We're friends, remember? But, yeah, let's take that break." The two walked over to the bar, where they asked Ernie to refill their bottles and Jason ordered some Nachos.

"Do you always eat stuff like that when sparring?"

"Hey, you'd be surprised how much energy these things give me before a fight."

"Is that your secret weapon in your fights? Nachos?"

"Maybe!" said Jason, laughing.

"Well, well, well. Lookie what we have here. If it isn't Tommy Oliver and Jason Lee Scott."

"Yeah, two of the bigger dorks from school. Hahahahaha!" On hearing the two familiar voices, Tommy and Jason whipped around and were shocked to see Bulk and Skull standing there. Only they weren't the same Bulk and Skull they remembered. They were both dressed in business casual suits with ties and polished shoes. Instead of being spiky, Skull's hair was slicked back with grease, while Bulk's was tied back in a ponytail.

"Bulk? Skull? Is that you?"

"In the flesh!" said Skull.

"Are you surprised?" asked Bulk.

"I'll say! You guys cleaned up real good!" said Jason.

"Well, you know, you have to look good if you're gonna be the owner of your own business."

"Business?" asked Tommy, dumbstruck.

"That's right. We're the proud owners of 'Bulkmeiers Bar and Grill.'" said Skull.

"And you two and the others can eat free their anytime you want." said Bulk.

"Others?" asked Tommy.

"Eat free? Anytime?" asked Jason.

"Yeah, Kimberly, Trini, Billy..."

"Yeah, I get it but why eat free?" Bulk and Skull chuckled at this, which made Jason and Tommy nervous and even more confused.

"Come on, guys. Did you really think we'd never figure it out?"

"Yeah, we're not THAT stupid. At least, not anymore." said Skull.

Tommy and Jason looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do. Finally, they looked back at Bulk and Skull and motioned for them to follow. They then led them outside, where there was no one around to overhear them.

"So how DID you find out?" asked Jason.

"Well, when the Space Rangers revealed themselves to the world, When Astronema had almost conquered Earth, we were able to figure out who were Rangers, using what we knew about them. The biggest give away was the colors." said Bulk.

"Yeah, you guys weren't too good at hiding those colors, in retrospect. Plus, always missing the action whenever the Rangers showed up. Or always rushing away whenever your little watches went off with that weird music..."

Right as Skull said those words, Tommy's watch went off, chiming those ever familiar beeps.

"...Just like that." Skull finished.

"You guys are still Rangers?" asked Bulk as Tommy raised his wrist to his mouth.

"Go ahead."

"Tommy, one of Azazel's minions and his goons are attacking some teenagers not far from your location. You might wanna hurry over there." said Adam through the communicator.

"Alright. Me and Jase will handle it. Where are they?"

"About 2 blocks away from you. Tommy, you better hurry. There's something odd about these kids."

"What do you mean?"

"They're doing weird stuff. One of them is moving faster than I can track, and another one is screaming at them. And the screaming is stunning these guys." As soon as he heard that, Tommy's stomach fell.

"Oh, God."

"What is it?" asked Jason, Bulk, and Skull at the same time.

"We gotta go. I know those kids. Bulk, Skull, we'll have to pick this up some other time."

"Hey, we understand. Go do what you guys do best." said Skull.

"Yeah. Come to the bar anytime. We can talk there."

"Alright, guys. Take care." Tommy then took off down the street, with Jason following behind.

"We're not gonna morph?"

"Probably won't need to!"

Bulk and Skull watched the two run off, smiles creeping onto their faces.

"You know what, Bulk? It's just like old times."

"No, Skully. Things are different. Way different."

* * *

In Azazel's cave, as Tommy and Jason were working out, the madman was studying maps of the city, searching for something that only he knew of.

_'I can sense it somewhere in the city. It's weak, possibly buried. I may have to-'_

_'__**When are you going to give up?**__' _asked a second voice in his head, one that sounded remarkably like his own.

_'Ha. I've been searching for longer than I can remember. I'm too far gone to give up now.' _he replied.

_**'You might as well. Zephyr will stop you. Him and those rangers of his. You haven't got a chance.'**_

_**'**__The day I start listening to you is the day all of the universe implodes.' _Before he could continue with his inner monologue, Azazel sat up straight, as if he had been shocked with a bolt of electricity. Rita, who was sitting off to the side, noticed this.

"What is it, _Master_?" She asked, spitting out the word 'master' as if it were venom, which Azazel noticed.

"You mean aside from your disrespect? I have detected more Rangers." The other villians, who had taken an interest and come closer, visibly tensed.

"More Rangers?" asked Zedd.

"Yes. Not active, though. Their connection to the Source is weak within themselves. But I can sense their morphers, which are still strongly connected. Ooze!" Ivan Ooze stepped forward.

"Yes, Master?"

"Track down those Rangers and bring them to me. Alive. I wish to speak with them."

"May I ask why?, my Lord?"

Azazel reacted swiftly, jamming his fingers up Ivan's nose and pulling it off!

"No, you may not. Now go, before I decide to have a peanut butter and Ivan Ooze sandwich, you gooey pile of shit." With that, he slammed the nose back on Ivan's face, which immediately reattached itself. Ivan crinkled his face, as if he smelled something rank.

"Y-yes, Master. My apologies." he said. He then exited the cave, leaving Azazel with a look of deep thought on his face.

* * *

The Dino Rangers were walking down the street (after getting directions), when they all stopped and looked around.

"Have you guys got a bad feeling?" asked Connor. As the others nodded, twelve purple piles of goo fell from the sky and landed all around the Rangers with loud SPLUNKS! The former rangers dropped into fighting stances as the goo-piles formed into blobs and then morphed into humanoid figures. The Goomen stood up and circled the teens, gibbering incoherently.

"What the hell are these things?" asked Trent.

"These are my pretty little kids." The team turned towards the direction of the voice and saw Ivan Ooze standing there.

"Loyal, strong, and stupid. They're here to get your autographs, Power Rangers." The four teens looked at each other.

"What are you talking about?" asked Kira.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. You four are former Rangers and I've been asked... well, ordered really, to bring you in to meet my master. He has a few questions for you. He just wants to get to know you better!" Connor suddenly found himself furious.

"Well, why don't you tell him to come ask us himself, slimehead?" Ivan shivered as he heard that.

"Trust me, kid. You'd rather deal with me and go quietly. Now are you going to, or am I going to have to drag you along?"

The four glanced at each other and held their ground. Ethan spoke up.

"What do you think?" Ivan let out a loud sigh.

"Well, I thought I'd give negotiation a shot, but apparently, it's not my strong point. Go get 'em, boys."

The Goo Men wasted no time. Upon hearing the order to attack, they swarmed the teens... only to get blasted back by Kira's piercing scream. Even Ivan had to hold his ears.

"Yet another reason as to why I hate teenagers." he said, sticking his pinky in his ear.

Once the Goo Men were back on their feet, the fight began in earnest. Only this time, they really fought. The Dino Rangers were giving it their all and were putting up a good fight, but they were still beginning to lose strength. After a few minutes, they found themselves surrounded.

"There's too many of them!" shouted Connor.

"We need our powers!" yelled Trent.

Suddenly, they heard two people yell out. Before anyone knew what happened, the Goo Men had been blasted away!

As the teens refocused, they saw their old teacher, Tommy Oliver, standing in front of them with another man, whom they recognized form the archives as Jason Lee Scott, both of them in fighting stances. Jason turned towards the teens and smiled.

"You guys okay?" he asked. The four glanced at each other, smiling.

"We're fine!" Kira said.

"And just what the hell are you doing here?" asked Tommy.

"W-we heard about the attacks! We thought we could help!" stammered Ethan. Before he could reply, A Goo Man charged at Tommy, who landed a single uppercut on it's chin. The Goo Man staggered for a moment before dropping to the ground.

"We don't need your help. You should have stayed in Reefside. And once we take care of this, you're going right back!" With this statement, Tommy dove into the Goo Men, kicking and punching in every direction. Jason stared for a moment, awestruck at the sight, before joining the fracas. As his fist connected with a Goo Man, he yelled back at the teens.

"You guys stay back where it's safe!"

While the teens were anxious to fight alongside their mentor and his friend, they realized they were out of their league and hung back. Plus, this was a great time to watch the best in action.

And what a show it was. Despite not having worked together in years, Tommy and Jason could still read each other, and worked together with incredible synergy. It was almost as if they one person in two separate bodies! Watching them, the Dino Rangers realized why Tommy and Jason had always been hailed as the best.

But they had become too entranced by the show, and had failed to notice someone sneaking up behind them until it was too late. Kira felt a sudden and sharp blow to the back of her. It only hurt for a second before she slipped into unconsciousness. As her body fell forward, the others saw this and turned around, only to find themselves face to face with a man who was scarred across his face and had red eyes.

"Hello! My name is Azazel!" he said with a maniacal grin.

Connor reacted first, throwing a solid punch into the mans abdomen, but pulled back and screamed, cradling his now broken hand. Azazel chuckled and pulled open the dark robe he was wearing, showing and blackened, crystallized armor.

"Useful, isn't it." he said. Then, still smiling that awful smile, he quickly swung a punch of his own that connected with Connor's face, cracking his jaw and knocking him out.

Seeing their two fellow Rangers down, Trent and Ethan both attempted to attack at the same time. But Azazel maneuvered begind them and smashed their heads together hard enough to knock them out as well.

All of this took less than 30 seconds.

Once the teens were all out cold, Azazel turned towards the fight.

"Ooze! Call of your dogs! I have what I need!"

When Tommy heard Azazel's voice, he turned in that direction. Upon seeing his former students on the ground, a white hot rage filled Tommy. Completely ignoring everything else, he charged at Azazel, screaming at the top of his lungs in a fury.

"YOU BASTARD!"

Azazel simply smiled as Tommy charged at him. When the Ranger lunged at him, attempting to hit him with a roundhouse punch, Azazel deftly caught the speeding hand in his left and impaled Tommy's gut with his right hand, sinking all the way up to his second set of knuckles. As Tommy screamed in agony, Azazel added to it by lifting him off the ground, using only his embedded right hand.

"Remember this pain, Ranger." he said as his eyes turned an even darker crimson. "This is only a fraction of what you will receive if you interfere with my plans. And a small fraction at that!" Tommy regained enough sense and awareness to speak.

"What are you gonna do with them, you fucker?" he asked, his voice weak. Azazel rubbed his chin for a moment, contemplating.

"I don't know yet. But that young girl certainly has my attention!" he said, licking his lips. This inflamed Tommy's rage, causing him to scream out in anger again. This only caused Azazel to sink his hand a little further in.

It was too much, even for him. Tommy blacked out. Seeing this, Azazel dropped him to the ground, freeing his hand as he did so. During this time, Ivan Ooze had walked over, and was now looking at Azazel with curiosity. Azazel looked at him and grinned.

"Let's head back, shall we?" he said as he gazed at the Dino Rangers, licking his bloody hand. He got a chill as he felt the slick liquid slide down his throat.

Today was a good day for the bad guys.

* * *

_A/N: Well! That was a doozie! Hopefully this will make Azazel's insanity all the more clearer for you guys. If you haven't figured it out yet, he's kinda crazy! I apologize for not bringing in Bulk and Skull sooner. I meant to, but they just kinda fell to the wayside until I realized how far into the story I'd gotten without them. And they do play a pivotal role later on._

_As far as the Dino Rangers go, I originally wasn't going to include any ranger teams beyond Zeo, feeling that it would have been too much trouble trying to explain it. However, I made an exception with them because Tommy was involved and I saw potential plot twists with them. But as far as the other teams like "Turbo" and "Mystic Force" or any others, consider them to be non-canon, at least in the realm of this fan-fic._

_As I stated at the start, this will be the last Chapter I publish until after New Years. I may however publish a couple of one-shots to keep you all from going crazy with impatience! But you will still have to wait for the next chapter. Sorry!_

_Anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed my latest chapter! Remember to read and review. Your comments go a long way in keeping this thing going! Thanks again!_


	11. Lightning and Thunder

_A/N: Okay, I am immensely sorry for the EXTREME delay of this chapter. Lots of stuff happened, school started back up and one of my college classes is kicking my ass. But honestly, I have no excuse. So here's the next chapter in my story. ENJOY!_

* * *

Chapter 11

Lightning and Thunder

"What do you intend to do with them, Master?"

"I'm going to question them first. I'm very interested to know how they remain connected to the Source. Afterward, I may find a use for them."

Kira groaned as she struggled to clear her head. The voices were close by, but they sounded distant. Her head was throbbing, and she could feel something sticky on her face. As she struggled to open her eyes, she could barely make out two faint figures standing in front of her. Everything was still too blurry, and there was very little light, wherever she was.

"Ah! They're beginning to stir! Wonderful!" Kira opened her eyes even further, bringing everything into better focus. From what she could tell, she was in a cave of some sort, faintly lit by two wall torches. As she tried to move, she felt something around her wrists, above her head. Looking up, she saw that she had been shackled to the cave wall by chain. She looked around and saw her teammates as they too were beginning to wake up.

"Well, I suppose the first order of business is to apologize for my rude behavior. But it was really the only way to get some 'private' time with you." Kira stared at the man who was talking. He was staring at them all with a leer on his face.

"This should be fun!" he said.

* * *

Zephyr took a steadying breath as his eyes fell on the sight in front of him. The Eltarian Elders were the first of their kind and, as a sign of respect, a temple had been erected for them not long after they had passed on. It was built at the base of a dead volcano. Zephyr was amazed at the structure, despite having been here several times before in his youth.

The temple rose from the ground, built from stone and covered in weeds. The first portion was an area where prayers could be made to the Elders. Beyond that lay the main chamber, where the Elders themselves were housed. All of it was topped with amazing spires that were truly intimidating. As Zephyr walked through the first area, he felt himself shiver in a mixture of anticipation and slight fear. This was only made worse as her entered the main rotunda and saw the 3 statues of the Elders surrounding him, piercing him their mighty stone gaze. The statues were positioned so that there were two to his left and one to his right, with a destroyed 4th statue to his far right.

_'That's right, there were originally 4 elders.'_ thought Zephyr as he continued forward, until he stood in the very middle of the room. He looked up and realized that there was no ceiling. This only unnerved him even more.

**"We have been waiting for you, Zephyr."** boomed an otherworldly voice. Zephyr jumped a little at the voice, despite expecting it. As he watched, the three statues glowed, and their eyes began to emit light! A strange mist began to gather around each statue, pulling in and clustering at their feet, taking shape. Within seconds, the mist had created three figures, exact replicas of the statues, only in a semi-flesh and blood form. As the figures began to walk forward, Zephyr bowed to them and addressed them each individually.

"Fortis the Strong, Intellegens the Wise, and Cor the Heart, I am Zephyr, brother of Azazel and Zordon, I am here in need of assistance regarding Azazel."

**"Yes, we know, Zephyr."** spoke the Elder to the far left, Fortis. He appeared to be of middle age, with a stern face that showed no fear or hesitation.

**"We have been watching you and your brothers ever since you were born, waiting for this day."** said Intellegens, who stood to Zephyrs right. He wore a look of intense thought, as if he was pondering what to think of Zephyr.

"You knew I would come here?" asked Zephyr.

**"Yes, young one. We knew ever since the Fallen One left our ranks."** said Cor, the only female in the group she wore a smile on her young face that warmed Zephyrs core and made him feel as if there was nothing to worry about.

"I assume you're referring to him?" Zephyr pointed to the broken statue. The Elders all nodded.

**"Yes, Zephyr. He is the one that started all of this, many centuries ago when we were still among the living."** said Fortis.

**"His name was Dominus, and he was the fourth Elder."** began Intellegens. **"When our kind were first beginning, we became the leaders. We divided the responsibilities between us. Dominus was our military leader. He was concerned more about the safety and welfare of Eltar, insuring that we were safe from outside threats as our culture grew and flourished. He was a powerful warrior, able to fight a horde of enemy soldiers single-handed."**

**"He was also the one responsible for discovering the Power Source."** interjected Cor.

"Him?" asked Zephyr.

**"Yes, him. He discovered it and found a way to harness it. He taught it to us, and from there our legend as Elders grew. We used our new powers to steer our culture to prominence. But then, Dominus became corrupt."**

"How?"

**"Dominus was soon consumed with the power. He studied it relentlessly, seeking to use it to protect us all. But the more he studied it, the more erratic he became."** said Cor.

**"He began to execute captured enemy warriors, as opposed to ****releasing them safely as he used to do. He then began speaking about his own kind with disgust, talking about how weak we had become and how we needed to start again. That's when he began talking about 'restarting' everything."**

"Restarting?"

**"Yes, he intended to use the power behind the gate to wipe the universe clean and start anew, with himself as a god."** replied Cor.

"But what about the Power. Wouldn't it be too much for him? I thought there was too much of it for any one person?"

**"I'm afraid those were lies we spread to keep others away from the gate. The truth is that if someone opens it, they will absorb all of the power and be omnipotent."** said Fortis.

Zephyr was stunned. He had known the stakes were high, but this was a bit much for even him.

"So... how did you stop him?" he asked.

**"We fought him, much like how you and Zordon fought Azazel. Only instead of locking him away, we killed him. There was no other choice."** Zephyr took this all in. It was so much. Then something clicked in his head.

**"I'm still unsure about something. I've been led to believe that the problems I face with Azazel have something to do with an ancestor who has been erased from my family line. That's why I'm here, I was told you would know something about it."**

At this, Fortis and Intellegens both looked at Cor, who gazed at the ground with a look of deep shame.

**"Perhaps it'd be best if you explained this, Cor."** said Fortis.

**"Yes, I suppose."** Cor walked forward until she was standing right in front of Zephyr.

**"Before Dominus became corrupt, he had a family. A wife and child. After his death, his wife took the child and hid his bloodline from him. The child grew up and had his own family, with his own children. They grew and matured, starting their own families. All the while, they knew nothing of their true heritage. They never knew that they were descended from an Elder and that he had tried to destroy everything. Generations later, three children were born. They were the last descendants of Dominus. Through them, his blood still flows."**

Zephyr's heart was beating rapidly. His mouth had gone dry, and he was unable to think. Was it possible?

"What are you saying?"

**"Zephyr, you and your brothers are descended from Dominus. He was my husband. And you are my descendant as well."**

Zephyr's knees went limp and he crashed to the floor. Pain shot up his legs, but he didn't notice. He was too in shock.

"That can't be. We were never told. We never knew."

**"You weren't supposed to know."**

Zephyr couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. He got to his feet.

"THEN PROVE IT! PROVE IT!" Fortis spoke this time,

**"Your eye. How it's tinted red. That's the mark. Dominus had ****pure red eyes. Your slight redness is proof enough."**

"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH! THAT'S NOTHING"

**"Azazel is even better proof."** This stopped Zephyr.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

**"Haven't you ever wondered why Azazel, a man who you knew as just and caring, suddenly went 'insane?'"** asked Intellegens. Zephyr stared at him, thinking back.

"W-we just thought it was from studying the Source. We thought it drove him crazy."

**"In a way it did. Dominus' spirit, which had remained in this realm, managed to make contact with Azazel. He gained his trust and then took control."** said Fortis.

"What, are you saying that Azazel is possessed?"

**"Precisely. He's been possessed since that day he attacked you all."**

Zephyr absorbed all of this. As he thought about it, it began to make more sense. For as long as he could remember, Azazel was a good soul. He had been their leader back when they were warriors, and he had never steered them wrong. But since that day, it was as if he was a whole other person.

"Does this mean I have been hating the wrong person all these years?"

**"I'm afraid so, Zephyr. Had you managed to actually kill Azazel all those years ago, you would not have avenged Zoe."** said Cor.

"Don't say her name!" Zephyr shouted in anger.

There was a long silence. Zephyr stood in that chamber, his fists shaking in rage. For years, he had hated Azazel for stealing the one he loved from him. And now, he finds that his anger was misplaced. He would have killed his innocent brother for something he had no control over. What would he do now?

"How do I stop him? How do I stop Dominus?"

**"You already know that. You must stop him from finding the gate. If he finds it and opens it, he will be unstoppable."**

"Fine. Where is it?"

**"The gate is buried on Earth, in the city of Angel Grove. You've been close to it this whole time."**

"Alright. I'll stop Dominus from opening the gate. Before I go, there is one thing I have to know. Can I save Azazel?"

The Elders looked at each other, with a look of uncertainty on their faces. After a moment, Cor looked at Zephyr and replied.

**"We do not know."**

* * *

Tommy groaned. His head was pounding and his skin felt like it was on fire. He opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself back in that field of flowers. Only instead of a shining sun and blue sky, a fierce storm was gathering in the distance, with lightning arcing through the sky. The wind was blowing with such intensity that Tommy found it difficult to keep his balance.

"What's happening?"

"Be on your guard, Tommy. There is much evil headed on it's way."

Tommy turned and saw Zordon standing in front of him again.

"Zordon? What's going on? What evil?"

"Tommy, you must be prepared. A long, hard road lies ahead of you. It is filled with death and destruction. You must stand tall and weather it through."

"Is there any way to stop it?" asked Tommy.

"I'm afraid not, Tommy. It is inevitable. Before this is all over, some of your friends will be with me here."

"What do you mean? What is this place?"

"The realm beyond yours. A place of rest."

And before Tommy could ask his next question, the ground fell from beneath his feet and he descended into darkness.

"Is he gonna be alright?"

"All of his vitals are leveling out and his wound is healing nicely. You brought him back in time, Jason. Otherwise, he would have bled out too much."

"Thanks for saving him, Jase."

"Kim, he'd have done the same for me."

As he listened to the voices that he recognized as Jason, Alpha 5, and Kimberly, Tommy struggled to open his eyes. His whole body felt like lead, and his gut hurt like hell.

_'Damn Azazel. I swear he's gonna pay.'_

He finally managed to open his lids, and his eyes adjusted, he could see Kim and Jason standing over him.

"He's waking up! Tommy, are you ok? How do ya feel?"

"Mmm, like hammered shit. Where's the kids?"

"Kids?" asked Kim.

"My students! Those four kids we were trying to save. Jase, what happened to them?" Jason's eyes didn't meet Tommy's as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, man. But they're gone. Azazel took them."

Tommy took in the words, letting them sink in. He was silent for some time, letting everything run around in his head, trying to make sense of it all. This only succeeded in giving him a headache. He let out a sigh and looked at Kim, Jason, and Alpha.

"Guys, could you give me a minute? I need to be alone." The three looked at each other and started to leave, but before they got very far, Tommy spoke again.

"Kimberly, could you stay?" Kim looked at Tommy, her eyes getting a little wet. She quickly walked back over to his side. Jason and Alpha looked at the two for a second before walking out, Jason wearing a grin on his face. When they had left, Tommy and Kim looked at each other, now unsure of what to say.

"H-how long was I out?" Tommy asked, breaking the silence.

"Not long. A couple of hours. Jason teleported you both back here and Alpha started you patching you up ASAP. He was able to heal where Azazel hit you within a short while. The rest was you just sleeping it off."

"Oh. Any news about Zephyr?" Kim shook her head.

"We haven't heard anything about him since he left yesterday. Alpha says that he's been monitoring him on Eltar, but he lost the signal about 3 hours ago. He says it's because he's in the temple, something about interference."

"Oh." There was another stretch of silence, as the two tried to think of something to say. Eventually, Kim broke the silence.

"You know, when Jason brought you in, I thought you were dead. There was blood all over you. You seemed so lifeless. I couldn't believe it. All I could think was that it wasn't possible. You're my white knight, you're indestructible. I couldn't believe that you would leave me like that." Kim started to cry a little, her voice choking in her throat. Tommy reacted on instinct, grabbing her and pulling her close.

"It's alright, I'm safe now. You're knight is safe. And you know what? Once I'm back on my feet, we'll stop all of this. We'll stop Azazel and save the kids." Kim pulled away enough to look in Tommy's eyes. Hers were moist with tears.

"Promise?" Her voice was full of hope. Seeing her look at him like that, like he was still her knight, made Tommy feel truly invincible.

"Promise." he said, his voice tense with determination.

* * *

Zephyr walked away from the temple, his pace slow as he was turning over everything in his head. The revelation that Azazel was really being possessed by an ancestor had made his hurt and had filled his heart with guilt now that he knew his brother was not himself. He couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had he and Zordon killed Azazel.

Zephyr was so deep in thought, he hadn't noticed where his footsteps had taken him. Without realizing it, he had arrived at his old command center. Once he had realized this, he simply stopped and stared, taking in the sight of it.

It looked exactly the same as the command center on Earth, despite the amount of decay caused by 15,000 years of neglect.

_'Everything happened so fast. After Azazel attacked us, we immediately fought back and captured him. As soon as we had him, we just left. We... never came back.'_

"Until now." he said aloud. He continued to stare at the structure as the memories of that terrible day washed over him like a wave.**..**

* * *

_A/N: So there you have it! The latest chapter in my saga! Again, I apologize for the extreme delay. No excuse, but at least it's out now. The next chapter will show what happened on the day Azazel became possessed and attacked the others. Til then, read and review!_


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